Word Count: 1006


Edgar doesn't mind being alone. Not really. As a child, he always knew that he was not the sort of bloke to be the hero of a story. He would be a background character, interesting in his own right, but just a bloke. Just an ordinary bloke.

So, as he walks along the Black Lake, he doesn't feel lonely. It's peaceful this way. He sees how Amelia is always so tired; she has more friends than he could even imagine, and he thinks it must take its toll on her. Still, his sister always smiles through it, like it isn't a big deal, like everything is perfectly fine.

He pauses and plucks a stone from the ground, studying it for a moment. He's seen his younger brother do this a thousand times. It can't be too difficult.

Edgar pulls his arm back and slings the rock. It plops against the dark water and sinks unceremoniously, leaving ripples in its wake. Edgar swears under breath, disappointed. He really believed it would be easy.

"Did you actually try?"

The voice startles Edgar so much that he neatly loses his balance and plunges into the lake. He whips around, spotting a boy around his age with red hair and a Gryffindor tie. Edgar thinks he recognizes him from the Sorting ceremony. One of the Prewett twins, perhaps?

"Even Fabian can get one good skip out of it."

Fabian. Edgar purses his lips. This one must be Gideon then.

Gideon grins and bends over, grabbing a rock and examining it with narrowed eyes. He returns it to the shore and picks another up, turning it over and running his slender fingers over its smooth surface. Edgar wonders what he's looking for. To him, it doesn't make much of a difference because they're all rocks. Gideon, however, treats the task like it's the most important thing in the world.

It takes another two attempts, but Gideon seems to find what he's looking for. "Watch and learn," he says, and his grin broadens so much that Edgar worries his face might split in half.

Edgar doesn't know how he does it. Gideon draws back and flicks his wrist just right as he goes forward again. The rock skips once, then twice, then again and again until it is barely visible. Edgar stares, fascinated by the flurry of ripples that move across the water. He doesn't know how far the rock makes it, but he wouldn't be surprised if it reached the other side.

Edgar turns back to Gideon, jaw slack and eyes wide, absolutely awestruck by the feat he's just witnessed. "Can you teach me?"

Gideon nods and picks up another rock. "Watch and learn, Bones."

Edgar blushes. Gideon knows he is. He shouldn't feel so giddy over this, but he can't help but smile.

"Step one," Gideon tells him, his tone surprisingly serious, "find the perfect rock."

It goes on like that for what feels like forever. It is so easy to talk to Gideon. They both moan about the pains of having a sister, though Gideon's is a younger sister named Molly, while Edgar's sister a year older. Both dislike Potions, though Gideon says Fabian is brilliant at it. Both want to join their House's Quidditch team; while Gideon has the build for a Seeker, he, like Edgar, wants to be a Chaser.

It feels like he's known Gideon his entire life. Edgar has never felt a connection like that with anyone else before, but he likes it. Maybe it's different, but different isn't necessarily bad. This is comfortable and warm, and Edgar thinks he could get used to.

"There you are!" Fabian Prewett appears. Behind him, a Ravenclaw girl Edgar recognizes as Dorcas, stands, smiling.

"Who's this, then?" Dorcas asks, tipping her head to the side, her wild curls draping over her shoulder at the movement. She gestures toward Edgar.

"This, lady and gentleman," Gideon says, pointing at Edgar with a dramatic flourish, "is Edgar Bones, my new friend."

"We have a Hufflepuff?" Fabian gasps, holding his hand out for his brother. The two exchange high fives. "We have a Hufflepuff!"

Edgar isn't quite sure what's going on, but he finds himself smiling. Gideon called him his friend, and Fabian seems happy about it. Dorcas gives him a smile as she approaches, draping an arm around his shoulder.

"Well, Eddie, I hate to break it to you," she says with a soft laugh. "You're sort of stuck with us now. Once these two idiots decide they like someone, there's no escape."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Dory," Gideon laughs.

"Were you showing off your stone skipping talent again?" Dorcas snorts.

"I wasn't so much showing off, as I was making Eddie here realize that he is awful at it," Gideon says.

It's chaos, but Edgar likes it. He's never cared for nicknames before, but when they say Eddie, it sounds like another word for friend. They're loud and silly, and this should make him feel so uncomfortable, but Edgar thinks that it's wonderful. He's never felt so welcome and wanted until this moment.

"I've gotten better," Edgar says, picking up a stone.

He knows what to look for now, how to pick the perfect stone. They aren't just rocks. There's a special technique to everything, and Edgar understands it now.

He adjusts his arm, getting each component just right. In the back of his head, he is very much aware that they're all watching him, but he doesn't mind. Even if they laugh at him, he knows they will do it as friends. What a nice reassurance.

Edgar lets the rock soar from his hand. It skips four times before dropping into the water with a plunk.

"Well, he's better than me," Doracas says, picking up a rock of her own.

They all join in, skipping rocks over the lake's dark surface. Edgar smiles, content. He had come here to be alone. Now, he has friends, and he thinks that maybe he likes it more.