Skipping Stones & Strangers PV Marylin M. Clos

Saturday, Mid-Afternoon
@Marylin Martinez

In the months she had been at Hogwarts, Lennox had never really found herself actively seeking out the Great Lake as a spot to be. Much preferring the comfort of the Ravenclaw Common Room, or the stretches of grass amongst the grounds, the Library when she was studying. There was routine to where she went and what she did, and she did not stray from that routine, as a departure from the uniformity of life she had set for herself would result in rather unfortunate thought spirals.

But as of late, Lennox had begun to realize that she was, in fact, stopping herself from enjoying life, and more importantly, her time at the school. The young Ravenclaw had pointed to any outward factor she could to try and pinpoint why she never seemed to let loose: trouble with her parents, being scared of change, being scared to disappoint people. In theory, those were all viable reasons, but deep down Lennox knew that wasn't the case. The Manchester native could have chosen to defy all of those demons, but had decided against it time and time again. There would always be another time, she'd say to herself. You don't want to let anyone down.

As true as this was, the real fear lied within something much harder for her to swallow, something she would have never truly acknowledged had she not been fed up with herself. She was afraid of things she couldn't control, and the uniformity she had confined herself to was the ultimate control move. Once this was realized, she knew she had to start the process of letting that go. Break some rules, talk to those you might not have. Admit defeat. Break the schedule.

So, breaking the schedule. That was what had brought her here. Lennox was officially trying new things, even if it was something as minuscule as going to the Great Lake's waterfront instead of the Grounds. She knew this was a popular area for students to go to, especially now that winter had come and gone, and spring was in full swing. Today, though, it seemed rather empty, which was immediately odd to Lennox, seeing as the sun was beaming down onto the school, the air cool and crisp. If anything, the girl figured it would have been packed, masses of students working to get their fix of the Lake. Not that she minded, it was nice to get some time that wasn't spent constantly giving classmates a smile or a wave, engaging in some sort of conversation. At times, silence truly was bliss.

With the soles of her shoes crunching softly against the rocky front to the water, Lennox stood still for a moment, surveying the area she once would have been reluctant to go to if not asked to go previously. Now, here she was, alone, with nothing but the soft lapping of the water against smooth rocks to keep her company. She took in a deep breath, a soft smile spread across her face as she bent down, picking up a handful of stones in the process. Before things had gone south with her parents, they had taught her to skip stones, at the shores of Formby beach, where they sometimes spent summers. Lennox straightened her posture once more, flicking her wrist as she sent a stone skipping across the top of the lake before it audibly plopped beneath the surface.

She continued to skip stones, finding the action quite meditative, as it took little use of the mind to send a rock over water. The girl wondered where the rest of her peers were, realizing more and more that today was a great day to be out. Hmph. Their loss.