Unexpected, Inexplicable

[Louisa Clark]

Louisa Clark did not like the dungeons. They were dark, and damp. She preferred to out under the open sky, but when it got to the evening time in Hogwarts, being outside wasn't exactly encouraged by their professors. So, when the evening closed in, she retreated to the castle. Her usual spot in the North Tower was occupied, some older boy sat in her windowsill and she'd been forced down here. She could've gone to the common room, but it was always so crowded. So, tonight, she had decided to find an alternative spot, and had decided to do so in the dungeons.

Ironically, the only class she actually enjoyed was in the dungeons. She'd grown quite fond of Professor Pendleton, and since she'd become interested in healing, potions seemed like a good class to focus on. The tip of her wand was lit and she descended further, looking for a new hiding place. It was doubtful that she would find somewhere comfortable, but somewhere interesting would do. After some time, she came across an old suit of armour, with a dusty curtain hanging behind it. Pulling back the curtain revealed a little alcove in the wall, plenty big enough to house the minuscule Louisa. So, climbing up using the suit of armour, she made her way into the little cleft, leaving the curtain open enough to let in some light. She pulled out a small piece of wood, a practice carving for a design on her kayak when she returned home, and set to work.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo was feeling awfully restless that day. Deciding it was pointless if he just stayed in his common room studying with minimal concentration, he thought maybe it was a good idea to check up on his little sister who happened to have been sorted into Slytherin, which slightly saddened him, the fact that she wasn't with any of her siblings. As long as she made great friends, the fourth year was happy. Leo was on his way down to the dungeons, getting distracted every once in a while because there was always a chance he could find a new hiding spot or secret passage. Hogwarts was full of surprises wherever you went and that was enough to make Leo excited and wanting to take walks around the castle during his free time. He had promised his parents he'd try harder with his grades and since the gryffindor was in his fourth year it was about time to do so. No more laziness or procrastination...well, maybe a little procrastination was okay as long as he didn't let it control his studying schedule. Leo scrunched up his nose. He was starting to sound like a real nerd.

The boy stopped in his tracks and he squinted. He blinked once, ignored what he just saw - a couple of students getting way too close for comfort - and kept walking towards the dungeons and where he hoped was the Slytherin Common Room. He hated the place, it was way too gloomy and stingy in here and he was somewhat glad that he hadn't been one of the unfortunate souls who had to stay here for seven years. Instinctively, he thought of his little sister and instantly felt sorry for her - only a little. Maybe he would see a Slytherin somewhere here who could call his sister for him, if she was even in the room to begin with. Leo sighed, disappointed that no one was there and was about to turn back around but as he tilted his head back in resignation, he froze in his place and squinted. He thought he saw movement coming from the curtain behind the suit of armour right in front of him. Unable to help himself, Leo stepped forward and slowly opened the curtain. Now this was interesting. What was the girl doing in there? "Um, hello - hey," he said, waving at her and smiling. He had no idea who she was but she had to be one of the students from the green house, right? "Would you - can I ask you something? Nothing personal, I promise." Leo kept his wolfish grin on his face as he spoke, tone as friendly as possible and hoping he wasn't scaring or bothering the poor girl. She seemed so lonely and Leo didn't like seeing others alone. Unless they wanted to be, of course. Why had she been hiding in the first place? Hogwarts couldn't be that bad that she wanted to get away from everyone surely.​

 

[Louisa Clark]

Louisa wasn't particularly artistic, so the carving by the young girl looked like just that. She'd named the new kayak "Aqua" after their old dog, and as such the carving consisted of a wave pattern; she wanted it to cover the whole bow. This was the first time she'd owned a wooden kayak, she'd built it with the help of her mother over the Summer. up until now, her father had thought it best that she stick to plastic kayaks; they were heavier in the water and so moved much slower, but Matthew wasn't around to tell her what to do, and she was thirteen, so she could do what she liked. The chunk of wood was useful for her to pick a pattern she liked that didn't look too childish or embarrassing before carving it into her precious new possession. She had to be careful with the knife, lest a professor spot it and take it away. It wasn't incredibly sharp, but she valued it immensely. So absorbed was she in the chunk of wood she held, she didn't hear the stranger approaching. Not much light was let in by the movement of the curtain, and so she remained oblivious, carving away, until he spoke. "Wha-" Jumping back in shock, she clutched the knife in front of her, little good it would do as a defense, but it was somewhat comforting. "Oh my God, you scared me!" A sigh of relief seemed to seep all the way to her toes as she returned to her position. "Hello?" What on Earth did this boy want, she didn't think he was a Slytherin, at least he didn't look in the least bit familiar, and usually she knew the faces of those she saw in the common room, if not their names.

His question was odd. "Sure." At least he'd started by saying it wasn't personal. If it had been, there was no way she would've answered. Now that the fright had passed, she got a better look at him. He looked older than her, if not by much, and seemed quite nice. He smiled a lot, like her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. you couldn't trust a person who smiled too much, they usually had ulterior motives. She continued to whittle away at her block of wood, trying not to pay the boy too much mind. Perhaps his question would be simple directions to his own house. "You're not a Slytherin." She'd hardly realised she spoke, until the words were out. They weren't a question, she knew he wasn't, so what on earth was he doing in the dungeons? This was the home of the snakes, a place for darkness and quiet, not friendly chatter and questions. He was lucky he'd caught her in a relatively good mood, or she might've just run off without a word. Though, why should she? This was her hiding spot, he was the one who should have to go, not Louisa.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo had expected some sort of reaction from the girl, but she must have been very into what she was doing before because the shock and surprise written all over her face was a lot more than what Leo expected. He raised an eyebrow at the knife in her hand before looking down and seeing what she was doing. "Nice," he commented, the usual smile creeping on his face. She was artistic, he liked that. More of a reason to befriend her, at least for now. "Sorry, that wasn't my intention, I was curious to see what lay behind the curtain." Realising his hand was still on the curtain, he let go of it, still standing in front of the girl. If he was intimidating her he'd sit down. "Cool thanks," he replied, sighing and watching her as she carved. He wondered what on Earth she was trying to do. "No, I'm in Gryffindor, that's why I wanted to ask if you saw my sister, she's a first year and in Slytherin. She seems to disappear half the time and it's hard to look for her. Do you think you could..." Seeing the girl's head bent down in concentration made him think that maybe she was not the right person to ask. It was a little late to turn back now though, so he asked what he originally came here for. "Do you think you could look if she's in the common room? Her name's Sara."
​

 

[Louisa Clark]

This boy was very pass-remarkable. Louisa wasn't sure that she liked that. "Well, now you know." She'd chosen this place so as not to be annoyed by intruders, and yet here she was, again being forced to socialise. Why were the people in this silly castle so friendly all the time? It was excruciating. When he named his house, it became clearer. Gryffindors. They seemed intent on being the good guys in every situation, and while there was no problem with that, she didn't need a hero, or sidekick or anything of the like. His question, or rather request, was a simply enough one, and while she didn't want to make any sort of connection with the lion, she didn't see the problem in helping him with this. "Okay. Stay here." Standing, and stuffing her carving and knife into her robes pockets, she ran in the direction of the common room, not sure if the boy would follow or stay where he was. Popping her head around the common room, using the loudest voice she could "Is there a first year Sara with a brother in Gryffindor here?" No answer, so she returned and when she found the boy in the murky darkness of the dungeons, she shook her head. "No dice I'm afraid." With that, she began the retreat to her little shelf in the darkness, where she could return to her former peace. With the amount of students in Hogwarts, you'd have thought he could find someone else.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

As Leo waited for an answer from the girl, his curiosity made him want to have a closer look at what the girl was carving exactly. It didn't seem like anything the fourth year had seen before, so it was rather interesting to the Gryffindor. Although, she definitely knew how to stand up for herself...whatever she was defending herself from. Leo didn't think he had done anything wrong, so he decided to remain where he was. He nodded at her as a way of thanks when she finally agreed to see if his sister was there, and instead of following her he decided to sit down on the floor while she called Sara. Otherwise he'd have to go look somewhere else, or maybe she would appear soon. Leo was hoping for the latter, maybe talk to this girl some more. He felt like making a new friend today. "Oh," he frowned when she came back alone and confirmed what he was thinking. "Thanks anyway though," he sent her a small smile and looked down for a moment, thinking of how this interaction could turn out. She wasn't an easy person to befriend that much he could tell. "Sorry if I interrupted by the way. I'm Leo," he introduced himself. Not knowing what else to say, the Gryffindor sat there in silence. It was going to be a long day.​

 

[Louisa Clark]

As she resumed her place on the ledge, Louisa wasn't really surprised that the boy didn't leave. He seemed the friendly type, and it he'd encountered Louisa four years ago, he might've found a friend in her, but that was no longer the case. She immediately pulled out her carving and continued work, wishing he would leave her alone. she'd done his silly errand, his sister hadn't been there, so what new reason could he have for staying? "Thank you for your apology," she replied, her voice cold. The words felt awful coming out of her mouth, she knew her mother would disapprove of her rudeness. "My name is Louisa. Louisa May Clark." She rushed out the response, almost as an apology for her coldness, but immediately followed it up by turning away and working doubly hard on her carving. The girl was a confused muddle most of the time. Her nature was a kind one, and she longed for companionship, but at the same time, rejected it. All of Louisa's happiest memories were in the before Matthew's death, and now she didn't really know how to live in the after. Her life had become a rejection of happiness and connection, unless it was connected to her mother. So, when she turned back around, the words which escaped her lips were, "Do you not have to go back to some tower?"

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Normally, if someone spoke to him coldly, he might expect it depending on the circumstances. But this girl seemed very closed off and not once had Leo found himself in a situation like this, where he was alone with someone who clearly did not want to be his - or maybe anyone's - friend. That was lonely, and it was also precisely why he felt like he needed to befriend her. Being at a school by yourself seemed sad. The Gryffindor was used to cheering others up, not worsen their mood. "That's not very convincing," he pursed his lips while he watched her. There was no way he was going to move or leave until she wasn't bothered by his presence anymore. Leo had no way of knowing if she'd been content just by hiding here alone carving whatever she was carving before he'd interrupted her, but still, he would do his best. She introduced herself, so the fourth year smiled, a smaller one this time just in case she didn't like his cheerfulness too much. "Louisa," he repeated, liking the name. "I like it," he stated simply. "And no I don't, actually I was just looking for my sister but now I'd rather be here and make a new friend. Can't waste an opportunity." That last part was his attempt at pointing out that what she might have been in need of right now was a friend. It would make her open to other people. Then again, Leo didn't know this girl or her history at all so he was not one to judge.</SIZE>​

<i></i>

<SIZE size="50">I'm so sorry this is so late!!

 

[Louisa Clark]

Wow this boy was irritating. Louisa had found, since coming to the castle, that Gryffindors were often the most persistent in trying to engage you in conversation. The only person she'd been honest with about her family life was a fellow Slytherin, and that had been in a moment of weakness. She now actively avoided him to try and ensure he forgot about the whole incident. "Well I do!" Indignant, Louisa rounded on her companion. "I don't care if it isn't convincing!" Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but she didn't like to be second guessed by people. "If I say something, I mean it, I don't lie to people." With all of her faults, Louisa was honest, painstakingly so, and it had definitely caused her trouble in the past. His words prompted a sigh, and she put down her carving to try to find words that could end this kindly. "Look, I'm you're trying to be all nice and noble, and it's all very Gryffindor of you, so I'm not surprised, but you don't want to be friends with me," a pause as she tried to find a way to explain herself, "You don't know me, and it is very hard for people to get to know me, because I don't want them to. I have my reasons, and they're my own, but people tend to not know what to say, or how to act when they find out certain things about me. The whole thing is quite painful, and it's easier for everyone, myself included, if I stick to myself and my mother." There, that ought to do it, and if the boy still thought she was just shy, then it was his own fault.

No bother at all!!

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo had half expected an outburst from the girl, Louisa, but he was beginning to feel a bit of an intruder on what she had been previously doing. He felt guilty for making her annoyed, though he couldn't really help the way that he acted around meeting new people. He really enjoyed getting to know others. Maybe what Louisa needed right now was a friendly face who was patient enough and who let the girl open up whenever she was ready to. Leo put his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean to make it sound that way, as if you weren't telling the truth. My mistake." It was probably best if he stood and left, however what she said next made him think twice about it. When he'd finally gathered his thoughts and knew what to say, he spoke with sincerity. "I'm not going to ask about your reasons for not wanting to let others get to know you, because I understand everyone has their own back story and it's none of my business. What I can say though is that I'm not a judgemental person, and if you don't believe me that's okay, I just thought that everyone deserves someone in their life to help them get through whatever they're going through, especially at a school as big as this one and away from home." He paused, taking a breath. "No one deserves to feel alone, ever," he said, his tone having grown much quieter. "I don't believe anyone's life is better without another person's, if that person hasn't done anything wrong in the first place. And those people aren't worth it."​

 

[Louisa Clark]

Louisa was tired of this, tired of making an effort to be cruel. It went against her nature to be so horrible to someone who'd done nothing wrong. "I know, you're being nice," she sighed, swinging her feet back around to face the boy. She didn't know how she could explain it to people, that she didn't want to be pitied for something someone else had done. "That's the problem..Leo.. Sometimes you feel alone anyway. It's easier to be properly alone, rather than pretending that you're not. You can have friends all around you, who don't know how to be your friends anymore, and that's more lonely than having none at all. I had lots of friends, but they stopped knowing how to be my friends, and I felt alone even though they were there. It's more painful when people don't know how to help and you feel like you're failing them by not being like you were before," Before Matthew died, before she stopped being a little girl. "So, when I left for Hogwarts, I left my muggle friends behind, because it was easier for them to not have to deal with it all, and easier for me to do it alone." Maybe now he would understand, though tears welled in the eyes of the lonely little girl who still wished her father would simply come back and she could go back to innocence.

Sorry for lateness!

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo was kind of relieved when Louisa didn't snap back or worse, walk away from him as that would have been embarrassing, though he still felt as if she had been hurt too much in the past to open up to him just yet and the fourth year wondered what on earth could've happened. He didn't ask, knowing that if he did so it would create an entire new barrier between the two students and he was just starting to make her feel better. Or so he thought. Her story about loneliness and leaving her friends behind made Leo think that perhaps under this sad version of the girl in front of him there was someone happier, more carefree, or at least there was once. "I understand where you're coming from," he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "True friends, whoever they are, even if they do not know how to deal with something about you they should still stay by your side because real friends like you for you and don't just stop being your friend because it's easier. At least, it shouldn't be that way," he tried to explain. "But sometimes, if you find even one person who can understand you and who is patient enough with you that's more worth than having a few friends who don't really know how to act around you anymore. And we're all still young," he shrugged. "There's plenty of time to heal and to find the right people, or person." Leo hoped that this would help and if not he would try harder. Louisa deserved this much from the way things had seemed to go for her in the past. He didn't miss the tears forming in her eyes and he badly wanted to give her a hug, but was unsure as to whether she wanted it or not. He shifted in his seat. "Maybe...it's time to look around, try to find ways in which you can feel better, the best way would be to let time pass, but what do I know right?" Leo smiled at Louisa and tried to lighten the mood. He'd never been one for deep conversation and he was trying his luck by suggesting what he did, to find different things to do to make yourself feel better about whatever was going on.</SIZE>​

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<SIZE size="50">That's fine!! My turn to say sorry for the delay

 

[Louisa Clark]

Louisa listened to Leo speak, blinking tears out of her eyes. This was probably the longest conversation she'd had with someone in Hogwarts, other than the boy by the lake in first year; who she avoided at all costs. "It wasn't their fault, they didn't know what to say." The children who'd left her lonely in a crowd weren't to blame, not really. They'd tried their best. "Y'know you sound like a grown up a lot? You just give advice like one." It was meant as a compliment, and she hoped Leo took it that way, and the girl was brightening somewhat, liking the idea that maybe she could find a friend who wouldn't demand her history from her. Leo hadn't. The build up of water in her eyes was becoming uncomfortable, and she raised a hand to her face wiping droplets out of her eyelashes, strangely feeling quite comfortable despite the display of emotion. "I think you're right, maybe." It took a lot for the little girl to admit she was wrong, and she'd spent a long time coming to her current position. "I think... I think I need to think about it.. Thank you, I should, I should go. Thank you." Such a u-turn wasn't something she could make in a single conversation. This was a matter which required thought. Jumping down from her perch, she stood and faced the boy, finding she had to look up at him, which wasn't surprising. "Thank you Leo, I will think about it, but I'm not sure." With a nod of her head, she smiled a tiny smile, going to walk past him and turning one final time "Thank you, again." With those words, she left, more confused than she'd felt in a long time.