[OPEN] All At Once

[concealedtruth]

It was the Perfect day for a run. Of course with Fran, pretty much any day was a good day for a run. Procrastination of writing her Care of Magical Creatures essay made it an even better day for a run. Don't get her wrong, she actually loved that class, it was one of her favorites. Writing essays on the other hand was no fun at all, no matter the class it was for.

As Fran looked over the lake she once again found herself wondering what all could be living in it. Everyone knew of the giant squid, but there had to be many more exciting things that lived there. Maybe she would take the time one day to look it up somewhere, or maybe she wouldn't. The mystery of it all was part of the reason she was drawn to it. Was that something she really wanted to ruin?

After a while Fran could feel her body start to protest. The air in her lungs started to quicken, and she could feel the beads of sweat rolling down her back. The sweat had to be the biggest drawback to her runs, she hated the way her clothes stuck to her and the sticky feeling she couldn't get rid of until she showered. Sometimes she would just go for a swim in the lake after she was finished, but that wasn't something she was planning on doing today.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she might have seen someone she knew a few hundred feet away. She started to slow her pace, and wave her hand in a greeting; but all at once she hit something hard in front of her. The next thing she knew she was in the lake, and unfortunately she wasn't alone. Bloody hell, who had she run in to this time?

"Merlins beard, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you I swear!" She stammered out as she tried to pick herself up so she could help whoever she had managed to bring down with her. All the while she was hoping a hex wasn't coming her way from whoever this person turned out to be...

[gwenogjones]

we are such stuff

AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON[/center]

Gwen was having a really lazy kind of morning, which, for the Ravenclaw was something unheard of. It was a couple of hours until classes were meant to start and instead of cramming in the last bit of her Ancient Runes homework that was due in two weeks time, she decided to give herself a break and see the sun for once. Most of Gwen's mornings were spent either doing homework, or getting a healthy breakfast down at the Great Hall. She was a Quidditch player and needed to keep up her strength and stamina.

Quidditch practices hadn't really started yet, much to Gwen's dismay. She was itching to get out there and start flying, but so far, there had been no whispers about the Quidditch season from anyone in the Ravenclaw House. She stood by the edge of the lake, her hair down by her shoulders and her eyes shut, letting the warmth of the sun's rays spread on her face as her thoughts dwindled on the upcoming Quidditch season.

That was, until, someone collided with her and propelled her forward into the icy depths of the Black Lake. Gwen flailed around as she splashed into the water. She tried to scream but her chest tightened with the icy cold water around her and she started to shiver, her teeth chattering away. "C - c - co - cold!" she stammered as her arms splashed in the water, trying to get back to the side of the lake. "H - h - hel - help!" she almost whispered as she held her hand out to the girl at the side of the lake, who obviously had fallen in with her.

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[concealedtruth]

As Fran got to her feet she was able to get a good look at who she had plowed into the lake. It was Gwen, from Ravenclaw. Fran felt just awful as she saw the girl trying to get to her feet, calling for help all the while. Fran reached out and took the girls hand, and then pulled them both from the freezing lake. At least she wasn't sweating anymore...

After they were both out of the lake Fran grabbed her wand and uttered a few words that evaporated the water that was soaking them, and making them shiver. "Merlin, Gwen. I am so so sorry. I'm always running into people and making a fool of myself. Are you alright?" She asked the girl, an apologetic expression on her face.

Gwen was a nice girl, and Fran would hate to think she had hurt her in any way. The girl probably hated her now. Not that Fran could blame her. Who wouldn't be upset when they unexpectedly get bull dozed into a freezing cold lake? "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you just let me know." Fran offered, hoping that it might soften things up a bit.

[gwenogjones]

we are such stuff

AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON[/center]

Gwen's teeth managed to chatter a thank you towards her saviour as Gwen's hand clasped around Fran's, pulling her out from the icy cold lake. Gwen's eyes followed as Fran whipped her wand out and muttered Evanesco, making all of the icy cold water that drenched Gwen to the bone disappear.

"Wow, thanks," she said, her eyes wide. She was still cold, but not as cold as she had been. She smiled over at Fran. Sure, Fran had just plunged her into the lake, but it was hardly on purpose. "Ah, Fran, it's alright." Gwen smiled, patting Fran's back. "I'm fine. Are you okay?" Fran seemed very flustered, and probably very embarrassed about what had happened.

"Don't feel bad. In my second year I accidentally plunged both myself and Davey Gudgeon into the lake." Gwen decided to neglect the minor details of that one, but nonetheless, it was very true. The two of them were flailing around in the lake for a good five minutes.

"How about you and I go and find a nice warm patch of grass to sit on?" Gwen offered, shrugging. Classes weren't starting for another good hour at least, and it had been ages since Gwen had caught up with Fran. "Tell me about your summer! I haven't seen you in forever." Gwen asked, as the two students walked along side-by side back towards the Castle, looking out for a good spot to sit.

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[concealedtruth]

Fran felt a little better when Gwen told her she was fine, even managing to put a small - yet still apologetic - smile on her face. "Oh, me? I'm right as rain." She told her, moving her arms and legs around a bit for emphasis. Fran was very grateful that Gwen was taking this so gracefully. Even she would have probably been annoyed if the rolls had been reversed. Well, she probably would have understood actually, given how many times she had knocked people over on accident. Now that she thought about it, it might even have been rather refreshing to be the one knocked down; instead of the one doing the knocking.

A true smile light up Fran's face as Gwen told her about knocking someone else into the lake. At least now she knew that she wasn't the only one to have done it. She nodded and smiled at Gwen she suggested finding a place to sit down. Fran was still a bit tired from her run.

Fran couldn't hide a grimace when asked about her summer. She had loved spending time with her aunt; but things with her mother just got worse and worse it seemed. They hardly talked to each other at all the whole time she was home. It hurt Fran more than anyone could ever know how upset her mother was by the person Fran was becoming. All her life she had tried to make her mother happy, but nothing seemed to work. It was one of the things she liked to run away from, because running away from it was easier than dealing with the pain.

They found a nice sunny spot and sat down before Fran replied. "My summer was great, always nice to catch up with the folks back home." she told her half truth, trying to make her smile convincing. "I couldn't wait to get back here though. Sometimes I feel like this is more a home than any place else. I live with my mum and aunt, they are both muggles so it's harder for them to understand everything about my life here." She looked away as she said that last part.

"Enough about me! How was your summer? I'm sure it was loads more exciting than mine." She looked back over at Gwen, trying to change the subject. Not that she wasn't really interested in Gwen's summer. It was nice to be able to catch up with her this way, Fran just wished she hadn't sent her into the lake first.

[gwenogjones]

we are such stuff

AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON[/center]

Gwen grinned at Fran. She was glad that she was okay, too; it was probably nearly as shocking for Fran as it was for Gwen to be propelled headfirst into the black lake. Gwen couldn't help but smile at Fran's reaction to her story about pushing Davey into the lake - at least the two of them knew that all was forgiven and the time for catching up had begun.

They hadn't seen each other all summer, and with the added fact that the two of them were each in separate houses, and for the most part, different classes, it didn't make for an awful lot of time to spend together. The two of them walked side by side until they came to a nice warm patch of ground, where Gwen dropped to the ground and lay down, letting the warmth of the sun soak up the rest of the chills she had.

Gwen closed her eyes as she listened to the story about Fran's summer. She grinned, "Yeah," Gwen said as she put her hands behind her head. "I know what you mean about parents not exactly 'getting' it. My mum's basically the same," Gwen's mother was a muggle, and her father was a wizard. And as much as her parents loved each other, sometimes it was difficult for her mother to understand why being magical meant so much. "But I definitely know what you mean about this being a home away from home."

Gwen thought about her own summer and opened her eyes as she sat up, looking over at Fran. "I had the most amazing summer," she began, feeling herself being sucked into the memories she had created for herself, only a couple of months ago. "I went to see the Holyhead Harpies play," she began, showing Fran the badge on the front of her school robes. It had an swooping eagle with two H's in the middle of it. "Twice." That practically summed up her amazing summer all in once sentence. "But really, other than that, I stayed at home and rode around on my broom." Gwen's answers were always so predictable; it always had to do with Quidditch.

Almost instantly, a cog in Gwen's brain ticked over. "You're the keeper on the Hufflepuff team, aren't you," Gwen smacked her palm against her forehead. "So I guess I'll be seeing you on the Quidditch Pitch later on in the year," she grinned.

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[ ooc: it's crap. I'm sorry. D: ][/size][/font]