The week was finally coming to a close. I stared at the clock as Defense Against the Dark Arts ticked away, feeling quite jittery in my seat. The girls and I were all free during the last block on Fridays and we had planned a little picnic.
After an agonizingly long double session, we were set free for the weekend. I was extremely relieved, feeling overloaded and fried from the rush of new knowledge. I found that the majority of my free periods and nights were spent cramming in extra readings and proofing assignments so that I could make my best attempt at catching up with the rest of my class. James, who was the only person who truly knew about my lack of background, expressed his pride a bit backhandedly, saying I was "Almost talented enough to make up for the cluelessness."
Nevertheless, I had decided that the following days would be restful and spent bettering my relationships with the fascinating array of teenagers around me.
"Ugh, I thought that old bat would never let us leave," Marlene said. We mumbled agreements. Even Lily seemed considerably less stressed, having no immediate duties to tend to.
"Baubles," Alice stated, stepping back as the portrait swung open to reveal the common room. We climbed the spiral steps and found our room, dropping our heavy bags down with a general thud.
"So, Marlene and I will grab a blanket and set up down by the Great Lake. Alice, you brought your basket, right?" Alice held up an empty, woven basket and nodded eagerly. "Perfect, you and Sydney can bring it down to the house elves and see if they'll give you some food. They like you best," shecolored slightly.
After changing out of our robes, Alice and I headed down to the kitchen, floating through the empty halls and soaking in the autumn sun.
"So that boyfriend of yours? He's cute!" She smiled brightly.
"Oh yes, Frank, he's very handsome and such a sweetheart. We had a bit of a rough patch in fifth year when Marlene and Dorcas each caught him kissing that Carlotta Meloni," she scrunched her nose as if there was a bad taste in her mouth. "But he made it up to me with the nicest surprise last summer so that we could celebrate my birthday together," her sweet smile returned.
"I just can't believe you hadn't mentioned him," I said, truly astonished. Alice was never short on words, she gave me a detailed rundown of each meal she had, I was shocked the subject of her boyfriend never even came up.
"Marlene doesn't like him much. She's only being a good friend, doesn't want him to hurt me again. But he's changed, honest! He's much more attentive now, it's different," I smiled.
The sunny brunette seemed to shine as she spoke of him. She rambled on about their first encounter in third year when they were paired up in Potions and he greatly misjudged his estimating skills, exploding their potion and landing them both in detention with Slughorn. By the time we made it to the kitchens I knew her relationship timeline inside and out.
We were greeted by a wave of about 30 nervous-looking little elves. There were hundreds cooking and washing dishes all around, working like a well-oiled machine. I crouched down beside one that was kissing my Converse.
"Hello there, what's your name?"
"Oh, hello, I am Vekey," the small being bowed its head and pulled at its fingers. "And you, you is being friend of Alice Fortescue?" I glanced up at the brunette who smiled pitifully.
"I am, you can call me Sydney," Vekey glanced back up at me, big brown eyes wrinkled in a smile.
"I am liking your name," I thanked him.
"What can Vekey be doing for Sydney and Alice Fortescue?"
Alice calmly explained our picnic situation, and requested a few sandwiches, fruits, and drinks. Almost immediately the mess of elves scurried off in different directions, quickly organizing and whipping up the food. Alice handed the basket to Vekey who took it, bowed again, and scampered off as well. I rose up from my squatted position.
"Interesting creatures, aren't they?" I said. Alice nodded.
"They don't like many people. I've never had much of an issue, though. I think students treat them like they do with their elves at home, but these elves aren't bound to serve them," I looked back at all the little elves running to and fro. Although I had never been exposed to any elves before now, I felt that people should be kind regardless. They seemed to be hard workers.
Vekey returned, carrying the now full basket rather awkwardly in his small hands. We thanked him and the other house elves, took the basket, and made our way back outside to find Lily and Marlene.
The cool breeze carried my hair off of my back and I swept some behind my ear to keep it out of my face. The beauty outside the castle closely rivaled that of the inner corridors. Green hills rolled, blue sky spread, orange and yellow leaves floated to coat the ground. Perhaps the most beautiful of all was the rippling lake. Small waves folded over one another, creating layer upon layer of placid mystery. Its shore sparkled invitingly; its depths called to be touched, explored.
"Food! I told you they'd listen to Alice; she's got the magic touch," Marlene exclaimed, doing jazz-hands with her fingers.
"Being nice is not magical. Maybe you should try it out, Marls," Alice replied. Marlene laughed and wrapped her arm around Alice's shoulders.
"That's what we've got you for!"
The picnic was full of sarcasm, laughs, stories, and discovery.
I learned that Alice had a lot of pets at home; a cat, two dogs, two bunnies, an owl of her own as well as the families, a bird, a few fish, a gnome (which hated being referred to as a pet), and a toad. I learned that her toad was named Neville, a name which she was extremely fond of, and that she had taken Neville to school with her. I learned that she had also brought her owl, which was against Hogwarts's rules, but that "Hogwarts doesn't need to know that'.' I learned that she kept her hair short and with bangs because it resembled her aunt's, a muggle whom Alice stayed with in the summer and often received books from. I learned that her favorite genre was fantasy, and although the world she lived in was a part of that fantasy, I learned that the muggle interpretation was so much more fantastical.
I learned that Marlene and Sirius dated casually throughout their fifth and sixth years, though it meant little to the both of them. Quick hookups at parties, enticing dances in the common room, flirty comments in the classroom which caught every teacher off guard - including McGonagall. I learned that now she was legitimately dating the Dorcas Meadowes girl from Charms, and the pair were very happy in their relationship. I learned that Dorcas brought out the soft side of Marlene that few ever saw, and Marlene brought Dorcas out of the clouds, as she was typically a very airy and sunny girl.
Although I could guess that James was into Lily, I learned that Lily also had a steadily increasing interest in him. I learned that she used to despise the boys, who bullied her best friend to oblivion and strutted around the large campus as if they owned it. I learned that this hatred stopped the moment Severus called her a "mudblood", forever severing their ties. I learned that James often bought her flowers, a new type each week, and she was fond of his paternal instinct with the first years. And I learned that one time he used the Crinus Muto spell on Sirius, cutting his hair and turning it pink, because Sirius had hexed a young boy for no valid reason. I learned that Lily Evans was a prankster, and she was thus far undefeated against the boys in their prank wars.
They learned that I had originally grown up by the sea, in Pleasanton, California. They learned that at age four I was moved across the country to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, miles from any shore. They learned that my brother was my best friend until he wasn't. They learned that when he left I felt more alone than ever before. They learned that one time I tried to drown myself, until I realized I couldn't. They learned that the only other time I had felt so empty was when my grandparents drove away on August 31st, but that I was quickly refilled when two black-haired boys ran me over. They learned that I loved the summer and hated the cold, but that fresh snow and hot chocolate would quickly shut me up. They learned that after a week in England, I felt more at home than I ever had in Pennsylvania.
About an hour into our small feast, Marlene decided that it was much too hot for a September afternoon, and that the only solution was to take a quick dip in the lake. Alice, who loved swimming, jumped at the chance, and Lily reluctantly rose after much pestering.
"You coming, Syd?" I eyed the water longingly but shook my head.
"You guys go," Marlene moaned.
"Don't be a party pooper, come on!"
"It's actually quite warm," Alice added.
"I can't, I have Aquagenic Urticaria," Alice and Marlene each went confusedly quiet.
"It means she's allergic to water," Lily stated with an air of annoyance. "You rehearse that?"
"Huh?"
"Tell us the real reason you won't come in," Lily crossed her arms over her chest, cocked her head, and raised her eyebrows. If I'd had a mother to scold me, I'd imagine it would look like this. Alice and Marlene stayed silent, likely out of complete puzzlement.
"I'm telling the truth."
"Earlier you said that after Theo abandoned you, you tried to drown yourself. Remember?" I nodded. Fuck. "Well why would you go near the pool if you were allergic? A bottle of pills would have been much simpler."
I sighed and rose to my feet, slowly approaching the blue water. I suppose we weren't finished learning for the day.