Winter break came, and Adelia opted to stay at Hogwarts for the holiday. None of her friends were staying, but they gave her promises to write often. On the first day after examinations had ended and most of the students were gone, she wandered the halls. She talked to portraits and ghosts, sometimes having to run away if she upset them. She met a ghost on that day that she had heard of but never actually encountered. His name was Peeves. She found him moving portraits to different parts of the castle to annoy the caretaker, Filch. She took hold of the string on the back of the portrait to ground it and to stop the ghost from continuing his handiwork. "What's this? Ooooh, it's the elementally girl, stopping Peevisies from messing with Flichers!" Peeves cried happily. "I'll bet you're really just called an elemental because your mental. Elemental is mental. Elemental is mental. Elemental is mental." Adie let go of the string and let him leave as he continued chanting. She would find a way to use him later. Still looking up to where Peeves had gone, she ran right into someone as she walked.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, looking up to see a boy of her age, in Gryffindor judging by the color of his tie, and with black hair. "I should have been looking, sorry." She said, and started to continue on her way.
"What were you looking at?" He asked.
She turned to look at him. "Sorry?"
"What were you looking at, you were looking up." He repeated.
"Oh, Peeves is changinng the portraits' places, that's all." She said, and tried to find a way to leave now without being offensive.
"You're the elemental girl, right? Adelia?" He asked.
"Um, yeah, but please, call me Adie. What's your name?" She asked, deciding she had better learn it.
"I'm James." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She took it.
"It's nice to meet you, James." Peeves chose that moment to return to that exact spot.
"Oooh, loookie here, it's mental elementally with the potty's son! oh, Peeves will tell all the ghosts, and the portraits too, and it will be all over the school!" He clapped gleefully and bounced off. Adie looked down at the hand still held in James' and dropped it like it was a hot coal.
"I, um, have to...letters to write home, you know." She said, trying to keep her pace to a walk until she was out of sight. Then she sprinted.
The next day found Adie in the Owlery, waiting for any late owls to arrive with promised letters from her friends. She was bundled up in a purple scarf, coloring thanks to Paden, and a wool coat. Even with all of her layers, she was shivering and her face was pink.
"Adie, you look freezing." It was James. Why was he up here? What, was he following her, or something? Why would he do that? And, more importantly, why did it make her happy that he did?
"Yeah, just waiting for replies. To letters." She added, then regretted it. Of course the replies were to letters, what else would they be to? Why was she acting like such an idiot?
"Well, I'm going down to the Great Hall for lunch, you want to come?" He asked.
"Yes." She said the second he was done talking. James looked somewhat surprised but not frightened by her immediate response.
"Alright then, come on." He said as he began to walk down the stairs. Adie moved as fast as she could with the ice under her feet to catch up.
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