Finding A Friend PV Skylar Astor

Today wasn’t a good day for Skylar. She had just received her Herbology grade, and the result wasn’t what she expected. It was only one point off, but it still hurt her pride. Herbology was supposed to be her strongest subject. Missing that one score felt like a thorn under her skin.

Frustrated, she wandered out across the Hogwarts grounds, looking for somewhere quiet to clear her mind. Then a thought came to her.

“The Great Lake. Yes, that should do.”

The topic she’d lost marks on had been aquatic plants. She thought back to home. There were endless gardens of every kind, except the one she’d never been allowed to enter, the aquatic garden. Maybe that was why she wasn’t familiar with those kinds of plants, as she’d thought.

When she reached the Great Lake, Skylar walked slowly along the shore, scanning the dark surface, trying to find some plant to observe. She could feel a few curious eyes on her. Maybe she looked suspicious, pacing near the edge like that.

Then she heard footsteps from behind.

Startled, she turned too quickly and almost slipped into the lake. Before she could, someone caught her hand and helped her get back on her feet again.

“Thanks! That was close.” She said with a sigh and shaky laugh.

The girl who’d helped her had long dark-blue hair and skinny look. Skylar noticed the Ravenclaw colors on her robes as the girl introduced herself.

“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, too, Julia.”

Julia looked exactly how Skylar imagined a Ravenclaw would be. A girl seems really smart, so she only hoped Julia wouldn’t think she’d been about to break a school rule or something.

6:49

By the lake, there was a cool air touched with silence and a drifting mist. Skylar let out a quiet breath before her laughter faded into the low hum of the water against the rocks. She glanced at Julia, who still wore that easy, genuine smile. She paused for a second, listening to her stomach.

“Food, huh?” Her stomach growled, and her voice was low but steady.

“That's a good idea, I could use some. I skipped lunch… long story.”

She started toward the path leading back up the hill. She walked slow like there was nothing she have to hurried, even how much she felt hungry inside. Skylar didn’t want to leave the sight of nature just yet.

For a while, the only sounds were the soft wind moving, the quiet, and distant croak of a frog. If there were no nature surround her, she feels she have no courage to talk to other people and was afraid she might ruin the moment of bonding. Her mind kept circling back to that moment when she nearly slipped into the lake. A little bit embarrassing, and just… disorienting. As she goes back to the Great Hall. Skylar tried to find any topic to kill this awkwardness.

“So....you come down here often? The lake, I mean.”

It wasn’t a smooth line, but it was honest. The kind that sounds like it came out naturally when the world around you felt calm enough to listen. She looked toward Julia again, half-expecting to see a girl’s expression.

Skylar chuckled, understanding how Julia felt when she heard the girl answer. It wasn’t surprising that a Ravenclaw girl would enjoy all of the classes. With a ready mind of learning, she was certain that anyone in the blue house shared the same mindset, or had something in common, like enjoying learning everything.

When Julia asked her back. “What about you? I know you like Herbology, but are there any other favorites? What hobbies do you have?” She paused a bit.

Skylar had never done anything not involving trees and plants. The only hobbies of her life before she was at Hogwarts were planting and experimating poison to herself.

“Um…” She looked at Julia with a bit of thoughtfulness as she added, “This is a very hard question.”

She then glanced far away. “Honestly, I had nothing in mind besides Herbology, but if you asked me what I plan for the future. I might say I want to learn more about potions.”

She looked at the girl again with a soft smile. “Oh, and I want to have an adventure with someone or maybe explore more toward the castle.” It was clear that she was too focused on the class right now and had forgotten about enjoying her time here. So, talking about the plan made her remember what she had promised to herself.

She finally took a seat as she asked Julia. “Do you have any plans for the future, too?”

Surprised how freely the girl suggested, as Skylar learned from most Revenclaw personalities, they were into books and did not seem to be quite adventurous. Maybe Julia was different. “Sure, we should meet up sometime to explore the castle.” She answered. Her smile was genuine, but curious at the same time.

Then stunned again as she paused in quiet. Her brow softly frowned. Considering how the girl mentioned that Auror was the dream job. She could guess Julia must be from a pure bloodline like hers. “Seeing you mentioned Auror, are you familiar with someone who has worked as an Auror before?” She put her hand under her chin, waiting for the answer focusingly.

After a minute, she came to realize her action might seem too weird. She afriad that Julia could be umcomfortable with her striaght forward question. She then explained. “Both of my parents work for the Ministry. My mother works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and my father was at Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, I think. So, I did not know much about Auror, that why I was curious.” Her tone was gentle as she seemed serious, hoping Julia did not think she was offending her.

When the girl asked more about her other interest, she shook her head a bit. “I’m really not into sports, but I might be considering to have duel in the future.” She chuckled. Skylar was only interested in Charm because her mischief grew stronger after arriving here. “Maybe we could also practice some spells together sometime.”