NOIR - [Fred Weasley]

12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

✻ When she remembers her father

italics — flashback

Swish and flick.

Three skips.

Average...

Swish and flick.

Five skips.

Better.

Swish and flick.

Skipping stones wasn't the most challenging of pass-times, but it always did the trick.

Lizl had always been a rather anxious child — and it wasn't exactly out of the blue. Most of her memories of her mom included hospital beds and trips back and forth from St. Mungo's, her father was absent her entire life, and her adoptive mother had dumped a whole lot of responsibilities on her from a very young age. Granted, she had requested to be entrusted with them — but that didn't mean it was any easier for a teenage girl to run and entire magical neighbourhood.

Throughout her life, Lizl had found that some kind of physical activity would at times be able to help with her anxieties. Focusing on a simple task helped clear her mind. And since there wasn't much she could do within the halls of the ginormous castle, she opted for skipping stones near the boathouse.

"What do you think birdie? Should we write him back?" the girl wandered out loud, turning towards her dark-feathered companion who looked back at her with wide orange eyes as if she were able to understand her keeper's question.

"I'm asking an owl about relationship advice... I'm surely making great life decisions." muttered Lizl underneath her breath, throwing her last couple of stones on the ground. She was bored. Skipping wasn't working much anymore.

"Tell me Mera, do you have a gentle bird suitor? I'll have to vet him first — literally — before you start popping eggs out." she chuckled by herself before turning sour. "Fuck. I'm still talking to a bird." she sighed and picked up her bag, motioning for the small owl to follow her. "Come on Mera, let's head back."

Her companion though didn't move, she kept staring across the lake, towards what Lizl knew was South-east. "No, not 'The Lair'. We're not going home just yet." she tutted, and with a small whistle, Mera was by her keeper's side.

●♛●

She had decided to take the long way back to the castle, walking by the Quidditch pitch where Liam was training along with Michael and the rest of the Slytherin team. She wished them good luck, teased Liam about the hoard of fangirls that were watching him from the bleachers and waved Michael goodbye, following the trail back inside.

She was midway up the small hill when a deep voice called her name.

"Oi, Elizabeth. Wait up!"

Standing at over eleven feet tall, the gatekeeper and Care of Magical Creature's professor called out her name, his large hand waving over at her as he approached the girl with a large smile on his face.

"Hello, professor." greeted Lizl kindly.

"Huh?" replied the half-giant, almost forgetting his position as a professor. "Oh, yeah. You don't have to... I mean, I am a professor, yes." he rambled, as Lizl stared with amusement. "But... well... anyways... It's Hagrid. Just call me Hagrid. I mean, you're basically family."

A small shooting pain, a reminder of a life that never existed, took over Lizl's heart, but her demeanour remained calm nevertheless.

"Thank you, Hagrid." she replied with a small smile. "Did you want something?"