Closed With a little help from my friend

[Terrell Foley]

Continued from here and here.

Terrell felt déjà vu when approaching the lake, but this time there was one distinctive difference, @Lily Harbour was walking beside him offering support. At home he could easily avoid the large bodies of water without thinking about it, but at Hogwarts life was different, and he knew he must combat the uncomfortable and panicky feelings he was having about the huge lake. The lake was a central point at Hogwarts - seen from most windows, a meeting point for friends, and there was so much for them to explore at the lake. Lily had been telling Terrell about merpeople that lived in the lake and he would love to meet one, but he was just so terrified by the water. Today, they had a plan, he was going to face that fear head on and touch the water!

They were almost at the lake, about the same distance he got the first time he came down, when a flash of hesitation stalled Terrell briefly. He looked over to Lily. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He was having second thoughts already. "Maybe we should come back tomorrow instead?" He suggested openly, wondering what she would say.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily 2as happy that shehad convinced her new friend to face his fear. They walked to the lake. Slowly but if that's what it took Lily would deal with it.
When they were a few steps away from the lake, Terrell looked nervous. Lily smiled at him showing that everything will be fine.
But as he started having second thoughts, Lily's face went blank. He couldn't give up now. " I'm one hundred percent sure it's a good idea! " Lily said. She walked down to the water and put her hand in the lake. Then she took off her shoes and put her feet in the water. She looked back at Terrell and said " We are here now. Just think of it as washing your hands . Or stepping in a puddle. " She motioned him to come closer. When he was close enough to reach, Lily stuck out her hand and waited for Terrell to take it.
The water was the perfect temperature.

 

[Terrell Foley]

His heart rate increased, adrenaline pumped through his body and the fight or flight reaction kicked in. Terrell took a deep breath, he looked over his shoulder then back at Lily. He'd be a fool to run off now, he told himself he was safe and it wasn't as bad as his body was telling him. He mustered the bravery to accept fight and stepped forward, reaching for Lily's hand that was wet and cold after touching the water.

He crouched down onto his knees at the waters edge, watching the small ripples. "I wasn't always afraid of water, I think I vaguely remember loving it one time." He told Lily quietly, "But this is the nearest I've been to it since falling in a river and nearly drowning." He watched his and Lily's reflection in the water. "Is the water cold?"

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily felt relieve within her when Terrell took her hand. She smiled softly at the thought of holding a boy's hand. She watched their reflection in the water and drifted away for a second. Lily came back to her senses when she heard Terrell's voice. " How old were you when it happened? " Lily asked quietly still staring into the lake. She noticed he hadn't touched the water yet so she decided to cheer him on. " The water is perfect. Come on Terrell you van do this! Just touch it. " Lily said with a smile. She held his hand tighter and looked at him.

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell paused to remember "I was six." He said answering the question. Still nervous, he instinctively declined the offer to touch the water, he had a feeling that something bad would happen if he did. "It looks so wet!" He replied, "And how deep is it? I can't see the bottom." The dark water concealed the bottom of the lake making it harder for Terrell to feel comfortable.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily looked at Terrell, a little confused she asked him " That's a long time ago. Have you ever tried going in the water again? " Lily couldn't image not being in the water for nearly six years. She loved it to go to the beach with her mom when they lived in South Africa.
When she saw Terrell still not touching the water, Lily couldn't help but get a little impatient. She looked at Terrell with a very serious expression " Of course it's wet, that's the best part! It's not that deep. I can feel little pebbles with my toes. " Lily assured him.
" I have a idea! Well put out hands in together. " Lily said lifting their hands into the air and then down toward the lake. She had almost forgotten that they were still holding hands.She waited for permission to put their hands into the water.

 

[Terrell Foley]

"Nope, I'm normally okay if it's in the distance. I'll go to the beach but not close to the shoreline." Terrell explained the differences, "But I do miss out on stuff and that's why I came down here, I don't want to keep missing out." Terrell wanted to touch the water but it was really hard to convince his arm to reach out and touch it.

Initially he flinched at Lily's suggestion, but after giving himself time to consider, he thought it might be a good idea to put his hand in with Lily's. "Alright, I'll do it." He croaked, "On three, no five, no ten! Lets do it on ten!"

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily was happy to hear that Terrell had decided to face his fear. It would be a big advantage for him in the long run. The lake was a gathering place for friends, and with a fear of water it would cause a problem for him.
She smiled with excitement as Terrell agreed to put their hands into the water together. Although she was a but upset that he still wanted to count to ten before touching the water, she agreed " Okay! Ten it is. But... No chickening out this time! This time it's for real! " Lily said with a serious expression

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell nodded, there would be no chickening out. He started to slowly count down from ten then closed his eyes and plunged his and Lily's hand into the water. Lily had been right, the temperature was fine. "I'm doing it!" He could hardly believe it. He held his hand in the water for a few seconds then pulled it out. His heart was beating through his chest, he let go of Lily's hand and wiped his hand dry on his robes. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." He told Lily, "I could do that again."

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily held Terrell's hand as thought as her little hand allowed her. She smiled as he started counting. She had never been one to really help anyone facing fears. And she knew if she had to ever face her fear, she would be a much bigger baby as Terrell.
When she felt him plunging their hands into the water, she almost for a fright. She wasn't focusing on his actions until she felt the water, he used quite a bit of force and with her legs and all in the water she was splashed with water.
When he took out his and and let go of hers, she looked at him and smiled widely, she felt joy inside her. "Wooh Hoo! " Lily exclaimed and hugged her friend.
Now all she had to do was convince him to put his feet in the lake. Hopefully this time it wouldn't be so hard. " Ready for the next step? " Lily asked Terrell with a smile.

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell beamed joyfully at his achievement, Lily didn't seem to mind getting splashed with water as she cheered and hugged him too, sharing in his success. He felt pride both in himself and from Lily. Terrell really liked Lily, she'd just helped him do something so small, but so important and she was so lovely about it. "Thank you for helping me, I'll never forget this!"

Fears don't just vanish though, they had to be chipped away at until they were smaller and less scary than before. Terrell had just chipped away his first bit but he still felt frightened about going further. His face dropped when Lily mentioned the next step. "What - what's the next step?" He asked hesitatingly. "I - I can't swim or anything." He had refused any swimming lessons growing up because of his fear.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily smiled with joy , she was so proud of Terrell. " The pleasure is all mine! " Lily replied. It felt great to help someone. But nothing lasts forever, When Lily mentioned the next step, Terrell's dropped. It made Lily feel a little guilty, it felt like she took away the joy. But she couldn't just ignore it so she said " Well, I was thinking maybe you could put your feet in the water? " Lily wasn't sure if it was a good idea, maybe just touching the water was enough for a day... " But you don't have to, we can come back another day if you'd like? " Lily said with a little smile

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell relaxed a little, putting his feet in the water wasn't as bad as the idea of swimming in the lake, but he needed a minute to compose himself before he chipped away again, "I don't mind staying longer, maybe take five minutes before I touch the water again" He smiled at Lily, "I like hanging out with you!" He told her sincerely, he thought to ask her a question and it came out before he had time to think about it. "I was just wondering, but if it's weird me asking or it's totally cool if you already have plans, but the Yule Ball is coming up and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?" Terrell felt very exposed, he'd never asked a girl to a ball before. He bit his lip nervously, anticipating a rejection from Lily.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily was relieved that she didn't upset Terrell. She smiled at his words and said " Okay, take as long as you need. " She enjoyed hanging ou with Terrell and she loved the lake. It was nice to hear someone saying they enjoyed hanging out with her. " Likewise " Lily replied honestly. She stared into the dark water and kicked lightly with her feet. She heard Terrell say something and the she heard the words Yule ball,edge looked him in the eyes and her heart started racing, she was surprised to hear him ask her to the ball. She had never been to a ball before and then she got excited. Lily felt butterflies in her tummy and then she said " I'd love to go with you! "

 

[Terrell Foley]

The joy returned and this time it did not have anything to do with water. "Really? That's great, we'll have loads of fun!" He was riding the high of an acceptance to the ball. Feeling happy and relieved at the same time, he felt he could do anything in that moment, even conqueror his fear of water! To prove it, Terrell jumped off the bank and into the shallows of the lake, the water reaching midway up his calf and soaking his shoes, socks and trousers that he'd forgotten to remove before going in.

He looked at his surroundings, at what he'd just done, and immediately started to panic. He had to get out of the water right now! He waded as fast as he could back to the bank and pulled himself out of the water. He lay on the dry earth breathless, then started to laugh. "HA! Did you see that? I just went in the lake!" Terrell had not thought he had it in him.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily felt joy from head to toe. She smiled at her friend and giggled at his comment about having fun." Great! " Lily replied .She hadn't been to a ball before. Then suddenly Lily got the fright of her life. Terrell had jumped into the lake, at least it was shallow but her heart started racing and she started panicking. She took a few seconds to adjust to what had happened and the she also jumped into the lake and ran toward her friend. " Woah there cowboy, you just frightened me. " Lily exclaimed when she got to Terrell.
She walked to the bank with Terrell. And lay down next to him, she still had a knot in her tummy and then she said " Well done, just warn me next time. " She couldn't help but laugh a little herself

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell turned his head to look at Lily as she lay down beside him, she too was laughing. She had jumped into the water after him, "Sorry, I didn't even warn myself! Thanks for jumping in after me!" He said, it showed she had courage. "Look my shoes are soaked!" He sat up and took one shoe off, tipping it upside down to let the water pour out of it. He gave Lily a pathetic look and snorted a laugh, he removed his other shoe and did the same, then took off his socks. "I think I'll go barefoot back to the castle." Terrell didn't mind, it was summer now and he was often barefoot outside in the summer months.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily smiled at Terrell's s reply. At least now maybe he wouldn't be as afraid of the water as before. She sat up straight and turned to face Terrell as he spoke. His shoes were soaking wet and water dropped from them. At least he clothes weren't to wet, she had a few slashes on her shirt, but it didn't bother her much. " Me too " Lily replied, her feet were wet and she wasn't prepared to wear shoes with wet feet. Though Lily wasn't ready to go back to the castle just yet " Do you wanna walk around with me before we go back to the castle? " Lily asked politely.

 

[Terrell Foley]

Terrell nodded, "Yeah I'd love to walk with you." He said, stuffing his socks into his shoes and scooping them up under his arm, "Here, I'll carry yours too." He said, unburdening Lily of having to carry her shoes around. As they started to walk , Terrell asked a question, "Have you ever been to a ball before Lily?"

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily smiled, she was happy to have met Terrell. And also happy that he would walk with her. She wondered if he was scared of nights too. She wanted to walk to the cliffs but she had to make sure first. " Great. Are you scared of nights? " Lily asked politely making sure it didn't sound offensive. She was surprised when he took her shoes and carried it for her. Nobody in her home country would be that much of a gentleman. " Thank you " Lily said with a soft smile. Lily wasn't sure wat to say about his next question, she didn't know if it would sound weird if her answer was no, but the truth is the best " Uhm, no actually. What about you? " Lily said trying to focus on changing the topic toward him.

 

[Terrell Foley]

"No, I'm no more not afraid of nights as I am a glass of tap water." He answered, "I'm not a wimp or anything, I can count the things I'm afraid of on one finger." He pointed his index finger to the lake, as if it wasn't obvious what he was referring to. He hated to think anyone thought he was some scaredy-cat who would be afraid of everything because of his thing with water.

Lily said she'd never been to a ball either and this was good as it was going to be a new experience for them both. "No me neither. How familiar are you with muggle fairy tales? Because when I imagine a ball, I think of Cinderella." He said, if Lily was from a magical family then she might not have heard of Cinderella. He waited to see what her reaction would be.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily smiled pathetically at him, she felt so bad. She never meant for her question to make him think she thought he was afraid of everything. She never intended for him to feel bad or anything. " Great, then we can go climb up the cliffs. " Lily said trying to ignore the feeling.
Lily grabbed Terrell by the hand and started running toward the cliffs, she hadn't climbed them before. But now is the perfect time.

Lily felt relieved when Terrel said he hadn't been to a ball before either. It meant they could figure it out together. " Well of course I know muggle fairy tales. I basically grew up a muggle. Cinderella is exactly my vision of a ball... Just without the glass shoe and the midnight stuff. " Lily told Terrell.

 

[Terrell Foley]

This day had been an emotional roller coaster for Terrell but he really felt he'd made an excellent friend by the end of it. Lily was great to suggest climbing cliffs, he loved that kind of stuff. His heart skipped when she grabbed his hand. "Yes definitely, let's go." Terrell enjoyed the feel of earth under his bare feet, when they got closer to the cliffs it started to get stony and awkward to walk on but he sucked it up and continued on. "Yes that's exactly what I was thinking, they'll be dancing, food and everyone will be dressed up." Terrell wasn't a great dancer but he had good rhythm that came in handy whenever he tried.

 

[Lily Harbour]

Lily was so excited as they got to the cliffs. She had made a friend, she had gotten a partner for the ball and she enjoyed the day. With wet feet some sand stuck to the bottom of her feet, but she enjoyed it. Lily smiled at Terrell as he spoke about the ball. Then it hit her, she hadn't danced in years, she wasn't sure if Terrell could dance either " Well, it's going to be great. One more thing... Can you dance? Because I think I might of forgotten how to dance. " Lily said biting her lip. She walked closer to the cliffs and said. " We'll have to leave our shoes here. " She was definitely not going to put on her shoes.

 

[Terrell Foley]

"Good idea, I'll put them here," Terrell placed both sets of shoes on a large rock to pick up later, it was likely he'd forget to come back for them but he'd be crazy to put soaking wet shoes on now. They reached the edge of the cliff, Terrell answered Lily's question before going further, "Well, I've never had any dance training, I don't know the waltz or quick step or anything, but I'd say, yeah, I can dance well enough." He grinned at Lily, "I'm sure we'll get by, and you'll surprise yourself how much you'll remember." He nudged his head towards the rocks they were going to climb, "Are you ready to climb?"