Winter flowers

[Tilly Drage]

The winter break this year had been weird for Tilly. While she had done quite well on her OWLs and wasn’t in hot water for her marks, it was her first year outside of Samoa. Living in Brightstone Village just felt wrong. It was too close to the school and too far away from the warm waters she’d grown up with. She’d spent a lot of extra time with Sefina and Natia, which was nice, and she had to admit having Jordie for a neighbor wasn’t so bad. Tilly did wish Seraphina would be close enough, even for a visit or a day together. Her heart had twinged every time she remembered the Gryffindor was far away in Italy. Writing letters back and forth just wasn’t the same.

Tilly hadn’t shared her feelings for Seraphina with her parents. She had been certain Jordie or Sefina would spill the beans, but she lucked out. Tilly wasn’t ready to share that part of herself with her family yet.

It was a shame she and Seraphina had been sorted into separate houses. Well, in hindsight, maybe it was better. All of the dating and breakup drama on the Hufflepuff team alone made her head hurt. At least she didn’t fancy anyone on the team; that certainly would have impacted her performance as both a beater and now a captain.

After returning to the school, she’d sent Seraphina an owl asking her to meet in the gardens the next morning. She’d seen her from a distance at the Welcome feast, but that just wasn’t the same. Holding a box of Honeydukes chocolates under her arm, she found a stone bench just outside of the entrance to the winding pathways and waited.

@Seraphina My

 

[Seraphina My]

Seraphina had not enjoyed her break. She'd been forced to be in her mother's wedding to a man Seraphina barely had the chance to get to know. Plus, she had to be in the wedding and go to a bunch of events. It just had not been a good time. She was used to getting time to herself over the break or even playing with Hera. This time, it had been solely about schmoozing and benefiting their new social status, which the Gryffindor really didn't care about.

When it was finally time to go back to school, Seraphina made sure to pack the clothes she actually liked after hiding them all break from her mother. The fancy dresses were never her thing, and her mother knew that but seemingly didn't care. Once her feet hit the Hogwarts grounds, Seraphina was back in her ripped jeans and hoodies. She'd let her hair grow out quite a bit over the past year and pulled half of it back out of her face.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about Tilly over the break, but things had been busy. And writing letters wasn't exactly her strong point. But she had been thinking a lot of about her, wishing she were with there when it felt like there was no one to talk to. Thankfully, she'd received a note to meet and made sure she was on time. She saw the girl from afar and made her way next to her. "Hey... I've missed you," she said as she took a seat next to her.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly’s expression brightened when she saw Seraphina approaching. After months of separation, it was almost strange to see the Gryffindor again. She didn’t say it out loud, but she thought Seraphina had changed just slightly over the break- she looked more mature, even prettier. “Hi,” Tilly said, inching closer. “I missed you, too.” She wondered if she should lean in. Then she questioned her choice to bring chocolates instead of flowers. All of this was so strange, so new to her. “How have you been?”