The Grounds/Near the Forbidden Forest:
Afternoon/Eveningof the Second Day:
Eddy sat down under one of the trees near the edge of the forest. She stared out across the grounds thinking.
Way above, JJ sat on a broom the wind sharply ruffling his hair. He didn't even notice the poofy haired red-head sitting on the edge of the forest. He was watching a fair-skinned blond who was just coming out from the building. He raced downwards, playing with his life a bit, skimming over the red-head's head (missing her by a couple feet: she wasn't in any danger). Eddy felt her hair move and looked up to see JJ fly past.
"Good-Ness!" she exclaimed. He almost took my head off! How long had he been there?
JJ half noticed her, because, again, he was targeting for the blond. It was Draco Malfoy, his best friend. The blond, who was oblivious, kept strolling in no such direction. JJ, grinning broadly, almost hit the boy, missing him by mere inches. Swiftly, he landed next to Draco and grinned at him.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!" the blond shouted, very annoyed.
"No, just playing around. Can't you take a joke?" JJ replied, a bit sarcastic.
"Well, next time, shout at me so I know you're coming... You gamble with your life way too often."
"So? It's amusing," JJ said, examining the grounds around him. He saw the bright red massive blob near the forest. He sighed... Wow, he thought, She has more hair than I thought. Draco looked in the same direction.
"Who's that? I hear she's in Gryffindor. Interested?" JJ gave him a sideways glance that looked as if it was asking, "Are you nuts?"
"Nah, she just... uh, well, I met her at breakfast yesterday... she's um, er... Well, let's just say she's 'friendly'."
Draco laughed at JJ's explanation and looked at the sky. Dark clouds were hovering over the forest, coming towards the school. JJ sighed as he felt the wind pick up. He loved storms.
Eddy looked around and noticed the two Slytherins. Not feeling in the mood to get involved with them she picked up her bags and headed for the castle, going into the entrance farthest from Draco and JJ.
Passing the Gryffindor girl, Emma pushed open the door. Immediately, fresh air washed over her, drowning out the sound of her own sigh of relief. But the relief was short-lived.
Two Slytherins were loitering a little way away from her. Waiting until Malfoy had turned his back completely to her; she briskly walked towards the shelter of the trees. She didn't want any trouble. Stopping about twenty feet away from the forest, Emma turned to see who Malfoy's companion was.
Mercer... that Slytherin Prefect who was friends with Malfoy. Yesterday, she had met him at the Prefect room. He had seemed nice...
Quickly, Emma remained on her path, hoping they wouldn't see her as she dawdled.
JJ looked around himself and saw that the girl called Eddy was no longer there. He looked around to see if she was anywhere near, hoping that she wasn't coming up behind him. He gave a huge sigh of relief when he didn't find her. And though she was not there, his eyes landed on a small figure in the distant, not far from the forest. He vaguely recognized her... but from where? Oh well, he thought, if he didn't remember her she must have not been that important. He turned away but looked back and saw her glaring at him for a moment. When he had turned, she looked immediately in a different direction.
'What the heck was that for?' he wondered.
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Emma rushed behind a tree where she securely hid herself. He had seen her. JJ Mercer had seen her... Hopefully he didn't know who she was.
She couldn't have Malfoy's friend try to talk to her. Luckily for me, he's a Slytherin. Slytherins don't talk to Ravenclaws unless they have to, do they? she thought to herself, tucking her hair behind her ear. Remembering the Yule Ball where several of her housemates had gone with Slytherins, she dismissed that thought.
He probably didn't even recognize me. I'm worrying about nothing. Peering around the tree, Emma realized with a pang of her heart that she wanted him to notice her.
JJ turned back to Draco. "Storm's coming," he stated.
"I know," Draco replied, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. He liked storms too. Draco reopened his eyes and looked at the sky.
"Hey, JJ, I'm going to go back in. Today, I don't feel like getting caught in the storm." And with that, Draco retired inside Hogwarts. JJ watched him as Draco left and then looked back to where that girl had been standing. She was gone. She had just been there.
Who had that girl been? he asked himself. He couldn't remember. Didn't he meet her somewhere before? He sighed. He couldn't think of where.
Tired of standing, he sat down and laid on his back. The sky was getting darker and the sky had tinges of black and purple in it. Oh, how he loved storms. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could lie out there through the whole storm and it wouldn't bother him. He enjoyed the powerful sound of thunder and the bright flashes of lightning. And rain just felt good.
With wide eyes, Emma looked at the sky she could see through the thickness of the trees. Lightning shot into view, making her scream in fright. She had terrible memories from things that happened during thunderstorms. She never wanted to remember them again either...
Not wanting to frighten anyone she might pass, Emma began to causally stroll up towards the school when the rain came pouring down. Her normally brownish-red hair fell limp at her shoulders and became dark with water.
Running now, she accidentally tripped over something sprawled across the ground. Immediately turning to apologize to whatever it was, Emma found herself looking straight at JJ.
"Dammit, Watch where you're stepping! You nearly--" JJ yelled, sitting up but stopped as he saw who it was. It was that girl... the other Prefect... what was her name? He knew he recognized her but he still couldn't place her name. "What do you think you're doing? Can't you see?" He asked, frustrated that someone had actually just stepped on him. He had been enjoying this wonderful storm when this girl tripped over him. He stood up, wiping his clothes clean of mud, even though it was pouring. His brown hair hung over his eyebrows, brushing the tops of his eyes. He looked towards her with an annoyed expression.
But he stopped. She looked frightened.
"You okay?" he asked, vaguely remembering a look like that; one that was frightened more than you normally would be if there was a storm or if someone was yelling at you.
Suddenly, a huge thunderclap was heard above them and the lightning lit up the sky in bright flashes. He looked up at the sky and grinned. He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. Oh, the pleasure of storms. But he came out of his reverie and looked back at the girl who looked even more frightened. He approached her hesitantly.
"I'm sorry," was all Emma could say. Over and over, she repeated the two words.
Covering her head in her hands, she tried to get up, but fell back with the pressure of all the rain. Her tears ran down her face, mixing with the rain. No one would be able to distinguish between the two.
"No... I'm sorry..." Her hands shook, but perhaps he was too absorbed in the storm's dangerous beauty to notice.
JJ watched her for a moment. He wasn't sure what to do. But by instinct he knelt down before her. He could see it, the unmistakable fright in her eyes. He could see the tears amidst the rain; he could see her body shaking, shivering, trembling. He reached out but stopped.
"You afraid of storms or something?" was all he could say. He wasn't great at being serious.
But he could see it. He had seen it before. The look of someone who's been scarred for life and would never be the same because of that event.
"Please, just forget I was ever here..." she begged, pulling away from his outstretched hand. "And please... I don't mean offence, but don't touch me... Not now at least."
At the next flash of lightning, Emma clenched her hands into fists so tightly, small droplets of blood fell from her palms. Shivering in the cold and in fear, she tried again to get up.
JJ was concerned (which was rare of him).
"It's okay. I'm sorry I got mad, forgive me for yelling," he said, trying to act calm and comforting. It wasn't helping. He didn't know what to do. She had told him not to touch her but he wanted to help her. He had to. She was struggling.
Finally getting to her feet, Emma tried to warm herself with her arms. But the night had turned violent with each strike of lightning that lit up the sky.
"It doesn't matter..." she breathed, not raising her voice to be heard over the storm. "Nothing does," she added bitterly.
He had caught it, the remark, but he didn't pay much attention to it. She was just shaken, that was all.
"You okay now?" he asked, pulling off his robe. He watched her and she watched him. He wasn't that cold but he could tell she was freezing. He draped the robe over her shoulders. "That better?"
Nodding timidly, Emma clutched to his robe. "I'm sorry for ruining your evening like this..." she choked out. "It was an accident I swear it..."
Looking up at the brilliantly lit sky, Emma added, "Plus, I never did take a fancy to these storms..." But her voice was darker than normal. It was like she was remembering having a bitter taste in her mouth.
These words were all bitter like that night.
He watched her. He could see it in her eyes. He had seen it before. He knew by the look on her face that she was replaying whatever happened to her. He cleared his throat, trying to distract her from it.
"Uh...er, Why don't we go inside? We can talk in there, if you'd like." He was being nicer that usual. But he felt the same sympathy he had felt before... he knew she was in pain. He looked up into the sky. The rain was slightly letting up.
Declining softly, Emma told him, "No, I wouldn't want to ruin everything for you more than I already have."
Swallowing that annoying lump in her throat that she always got around him, Emma handed him his robes. "I'll see you in the morning, JJ..." she asked, well, it was more of a statement than a question.
And just like that, she was gone.
JJ hesitated. Should he follow? He thought it best that he should, but would she trust him? He knew it was hard to tell.
"Wait! Emma!" he said, running in the direction she headed. He wasn't quite sure if he was being stupid or not but he didn't want her to hurt herself. Last time he ignored it, something awful had happened.
Suspiciously waiting, Emma listened to his calls, a dreamy look on her face.
Imagine terrible memories bringing people together. She must have done something exceptionally good to please the Karma gods thusly.
"Yes..."
JJ almost bumped into her. She had stopped. He panted catching his breath, not sure what to say. After all, it's not like he could just say 'I was worried about you because I was worried you'd hurt yourself.' That would be awkward. He stood up straight and made eye contact with her.
"Uh, I…" he started. He turned his eyes away from her. "I… well, are you sure you're going to be okay?" he asked, not sure of what else to ask. He still kept his eyes away from hers. He was afraid of what he would see if he connected with her. He was afraid he would see the excruciating pain that he had already witnessed before; a pain that was more than something that had happened physically but more over, emotionally.
It wasn't like JJ to be afraid. He was usually never afraid. Even if he was in mortal danger, he usually wasn't afraid and whether that was because he was a fool or that he was just abnormally brave, well, that's uncertain. Nothing frightened him, particularly. He wasn't scared of the things that people are normally afraid of. His fear was something deeper than that. If you asked him what he was most afraid of he probably wouldn't be able to tell you because he could not pinpoint this fear and translate it into words.
But at this moment, JJ Mercer was afraid. At the moment, he was afraid of a few things but mainly, he was afraid for this auburn-haired girl standing in front of him.
She could see the compassion in his eyes and nearly smiled despite the situation. Glancing at the lightning filled sky, Emma pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'll be fine."
She took his chin and brought it so that he was looking at her. Fear was livid in her eyes, but she did not let that hinder her. "I'll be fine," she repeated.
Letting go of him, she made for the castle once more.
JJ decided to not follow her this time. He watched her as she disappeared down the corridor. She had confirmed that she would be fine so he let her go. Her eyes, though they held fright, told him that she wouldn't do anything drastic. They told him that he should trust her and so he did.
He looked towards the storm. He closed his eyes and let the rain and wind whip his face. He breathed steadily. Subconsciously he walked out into the rain, vulnerable to the storm. He loved being vulnerable; it was the way he was. He kept his eyes closed and felt his muscles relax as the storm completely consumed him.