The Brave and The Curious PV Heather Closed

@Scarlett Aden

She wasn't mad. No, Heather was far from that- she was fuming.

As hard as it was for her, she was willing to accept the fact that Edina wanted to act like a five-year-old. After all, the blonde girl had suffered in silence and accepted many things her mother did, or rather didn't do, during her childhood- it was nothing new to be let down by the person she looked up the most. But to keep Heather away from her own aunt? That was the last straw. Edina owed her daughter an explanation- and no matter if she wanted to give it or not, Heather was going to get it.

Too busy with her own personal grudges, the blonde-haired girl didn't even realize how hard she was actually squeezing the owl in her hands until the sound of crumbling paper snapped her out of her thoughts. Sighing, Heather placed the precious letter in her trunk and, deciding in the last minute to head out for a jog, she dressed up in some comfortable clothes. Hopefully, the cool air will help the girl calm down.

Outside of the castle, though, the Ravenclaw began to question her initial plan. While at first, she had no doubt about confronting her mother, now Heather started to wonder if that was truly the best move. Edina didn't know, after all, that she had received that letter from Carmen. And, if the Ravenclaw thought better about it, she'd never actually met her aunt before. What if this woman was an impersonator? Or worse, what if her aunt was the evil one here?

Yeah, Heather decided ultimately that, for now, she shouldn't tell anyone else about the owl she'd received. While she tended to do things first and only after think them through, this issue was far more important, so she had to be careful.

Content with her decision and deciding to momentarily forget about any problems she had, Heather picked up the pace. Left, right. Left, right....

The serenity the tall blonde achieved each time she went out jogging was amazing! To detach herself completely from any problem she had and to focus on a basic task, to put all of her energy into controlling her limbs' rhythm reminded the girl of all the times she used ballet as an escape. And, it seemed like she had made a good choice, by heading out to the Great Lake. No one seemed to be around, except-

Out of nowhere, Heather abruptly stopped. Almost tripping over, she placed one of her hands on a nearby tree trunk, while she struggled to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of her. Needless to say, the Ravenclaw was shocked- after all, she’d never seen the Giant Squid before!

While during her previous year Heather had heard rumours about the famous inhabitant of the Lake, no matter how much time she spent trying to catch it while it was at the surface of the water, the squid simply refused to show up. Eventually, the blonde child came to dismiss anyone who brought up the subject of the creature- she secretly thought that it probably died of old age and that no one was brave enough to go and search for its body. But to see it now, not only alive but hanging out with one of the students? It was truly amazing. The red-haired girl sitting next to the Lake, which seemed familiar to Heather from behind, must be someone really special, to get the chance to be friends with the Squid.

To the blonde's disappointment, though, it seemed like the creature believed that three's a crowd, since as soon as it noticed her, it left once more, choosing to retreat in the water. Well, there goes her long-awaited meeting with the Squid. Feeling slightly guilty for pushing the animal away, Heather rubbed the back of her neck and, getting closer to the girl who was now sitting by herself next to the muddy lake, she awkwardly cleared her throat. "Oops, I'm really sorry for scaring it off. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to approach you two, but I've never seen the Squid before! It's just that- I think it's so cool that it feels comfortable enough around you to show up, you know?... Wait a second, I know you!"

Heather furrowed her eyebrows, recognizing the girl as she finally turned around to face her. It was the same gal who had been beaten up by Beckett yesterday! The one with the bloody nose-Scarlett was it?

While she had mostly been a passive witness to their fight (and, to an extent, even found some sort of pleasure in watching it- though she would never admit that, not even to herself), the Ravenclaw felt bad for the girl... But only a bit. Anastasia had some sort of anger issues, that was obvious, but spreading the word that you killed your own parents would anger anyone, so Heather kinda understood the older Gryffindor. And, to be honest, blonde believed that is she were to be in Anastasia's place, a bloody nose wouldn't have been the biggest injury Scarlett would have received.

"So, how's your nose?" Heather asked, approaching the redhead and crouching down next to her.

Wouldn't be Scarlett scared of a random, unknown girl coming to her and striking a conversation as if they knew each other? Probably not- after yesterday's fiasco, Heather was pretty sure that the whole school knew about the Gryffindors' two firecrackers. And, in turn, they must have noticed that everyone at Hogwarts recognized them- though not for some exactly good reasons.

SEPTEMBER 8TH
@Heather Blair Moretti

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How simply...wonderful. The girl who had just scared off her one current friend at the moment just had to be someone from the fight yesterday. Was that all Scarlett was going to be known for now? The one that had fought Anastasia Beckett in the corridors? Just one of two mentally-deranged Gryffindors? A victim of Anastasia's rage? Scarlett's face grew hot with anger at this mere musing, before attempting to calm herself down. It appeared she had...visitors.

It took all of her might not to yell in this girl's face and march off. After all, Scarlett recognised her. The fight had swam by in blurred bits and pieces, fragments of a memory she was still trying to fit together so she could replay the scene in her mind, thinking about what she could've done differently, like an incredibly rocky jigsaw puzzle. However, Scarlett recalled spectators. Some nice ones who tried to help - a Slytherin that looked like Beckett, her new friend Lindsey and her new enemy Allie. Yet there were some who didn't help, some who stood by and watched. This girl was the latter.

The girl was blonde. Honey hair in straight-ish waves, eyes like the ocean. Face covered in a thin layer of make-up. Bruises and cuts seen ocassionally on her skin, blemishing it. She looked older than what she logically was - a first-year. Scarlett dark-brown eyes cut into the blonde's own, glaring at the intruder of her peace. She then exhaled loudly and turned towards the lake again, the malevolent glint still present in her eyes.

The blonde girl just had to crouch down next to her. Not even sit - just crouch like an undignified lady.

"My nose," snapped Scarlett. "Is fine. Fine! How about your nose? Must be tired, poking it around in people's businesses all the time, not even being decent enough to help."

"Ravenclaw, right? First-year?" asked Scarlett. It explained a lot of things. Her friend Rose Moon wouldn't like her judging people like this. But Scarlett wasn't Rose. She wasn't unbelievably nice and kind and talented and sweet and smart and brave and pretty. She was, as the letter had called her, 'reckless, impetuous and dangerous'.

She sighed. "Why are you here anyway?"

If this blonde was going to show up out of the blue and start catapulting her questions about the fight, Scarlett was going to treat them how Fiona always said you should treat annoying people - with respect, dignity and pity for their poor souls.

@Scarlett Aden

Scarlett was a pretty girl, Heather mused, seeing her closer. With fiery red hair, which seemed like it resembled her feisty personality, her locks only reached her shoulders. If looks could hurt, her warm, brown eyes would have cut into Heather from the moment she laid her eyes upon the taller blonde. "Is fine. Fine! How about your nose? Must be tired, poking it around in people's businesses all the time, not even being decent enough to help." She sneered towards Heather. In turn, the girl could only grin. "Touché," she said, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "I don't think you have the right to judge me for being nosy, though. After all, yesterday you proved yourself to enjoy gossip just as much as I do." She didn't tell Scarlett that, the previous day she believed her to be the one truly at fault; nor did she bother telling her that she didn't help, not because she was afraid. What use could be excusing herself in front of a stranger?

"Technically, yes. But, practically," A shadow loomed over Heather's face, as she replied to Scarlett's question. "It's my second year here... Let's just say that I didn't get to graduate last year."

"Why are you here anyway?" Scarlett sighed. To be honest, Heather wasn't sure. True, she went out to run, but initially, she didn't have any particular destination in mind; her unconscious was the one that chose to bring her there, and her feet moved by themselves. "I came here to jog- I like to do it when, erm, I feel overwhelmed," the girl replied, rubbing the back of her neck. Was that the right word? Considering that damned letter, it sure it was.

"How about you? Do you come often here and chit-chat with the Giant Squid? How- how did you get it to show itself to you?" Heather asked, a certain glint in her eye, like a child who found a candy store. Truth was, she didn't want to talk about the fight, because her stance on it only reminded her what a horrible person she was becoming. And, she had a hunch that Scarlett was tired of being asked about it too. Anyways, you could find fights at every corner; but someone who had befriended a Lake Monster was unseen up until then. What did she do to get the Squid out? Did she lure it with some food, or did she sang a lullaby? Or... did it show itself because she was brave enough to do something that no one else did? Heather suddenly remembered that Scarlett was, after all, in the oh-so-mighty house of Gryffindor.

Ah, the Lions. Heather liked all houses- she enjoyed being an Eagle, wanted to protect the Badgers, and came to like the Snakes' cunning attitudes. But, with Gryffindors, the girl had a special bond. Heather not only loved them, but she also envied them. Envied because they got to have something that she desired more than everything. They got to be sorted somewhere where her father had wished to be but failed to. And she, too, instead of fulfilling his wish, found that her path lead on the road of wearing blue robes. Why? What did she lack for her to not be sorted into Gryffindor? Scrutinizing Scarlett, Heather tried to find any quality that she missed.

Was it a requirement to be mental to get in there? Cause if that was the case, the tall child checked the boxes a long time ago. Or did you have to be nosy and willing to gossip about any person who had a different life than you? Cause she did that too. Did you have to be mean to get sorted into Gryffindor, mean enough to spread the rumor that a student whose family just got ruined was the killer of their own mother? While Heather wouldn't do something extreme like that, she did something else, something that scared her: she watched their fight. She didn't try to stop them, and despite what people could have believed, that she was scared, she knew she wasn't. And, she would have preferred it. Because not jumping to help for the sake of enjoying the fight is much worse than being afraid of it.

So, just as she did yesterday, Heather sat. Sat and glared at this girl, at this witch who seemed to be no different- and, certainly no better than her. How did she get into Gryffindor, the best house out there? What in the world did the hat see in her, to place her there?

"How did you do it?" The blonde breathed out, not realizing that she was talking out loud.

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[font=times new roman]SEPTEMBER 8TH
@Heather Blair Moretti

Scarlett glanced incredulously at the impertinent first-year girl. She had never thought she was better, or higher up, than anyone in Hogwarts. After all, she was only in her second year at the school, and wasn't from an incredibly rich and prospering wizarding family, like some people here. Sure, the Adens might've been rather well off, and the Fultons even more so, but it was nothing compared to the Bellamys or the Dragamiors. But this first-year girl - a first-year, who had literally arrived just over a week ago! - had the nerve to tell her that Scarlett 'enjoyed gossip as much as' she did. Internally, she had a moment of surprise that flashed through her features for a second before it went, her face settling in a determined manner as she looked at this girl, broadcasting a clear message from her expression: Did you just say that to me?

She looked at the girl, a subtle glare in her eyes. "Do you want me to punch you like I did to Beckett? Or would you prefer a duel instead?" A few more annoyances from this girl and there would be just that. She wasn't in the best shape for a fight but a duel she could handle just fine. The only reason Scarlett had turned down duelling in favour of Quidditch was because it was way more exciting. It made you feel alive.

"And what do you mean, practically no?" said Scarlett bluntly. "If you're a second-year, why did I never hear your name last year as a regular second-year? I know everyone in my year."

"Ah," Scarlett said, with narrowed eyes, in response to the girl's next statement. "I see. Overwhelmed."

Normally, Scarlett would've given some non-sensical advice, paired with a caring tone borrowed from her friend Rose, who was quite the natural counsellor. However, this girl got on her nerves, seemed incredibly bratty and obnoxious and was too curious for her own good. As well as that, it was the day after the fight. A day where you were meant to stew in your angst, plot revenge and vent about your rival to your closest friend. Not a day for comforting random people who showed up next to you and threw questions at you with no regard for how you would be feeling.

"I came here because I like it here," said Scarlett simply. "The nature is nice and the squid is cool and no one disturbs you." She eyed the girl pointedly. Some spectacular not-so-subtle hinting there.

The girl slipped into a short state of mental un-focus before looking at Scarlett and glaring. Scarlett glared right back. "How did you do it?" she eventually asked, in a breathless fashion.

"Do...what?" asked Scarlett, slightly befuddled.

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