A beautiful view Closed

After a long week of classes, Alina didn't want anything more than to settle up near the Great Lake and take a nap. Even back in England she was able to spend more time in the water, but here she was so restricted by classes and duties and homework. Oh, what she would give to spend the rest of her life near the water!

With the warmth of the sun on her, Alina ditched everything she had near a gathering of bushes and kicked off her shoes and socks, shedding her outer coat, leaving her in just her skirt and sweater. The first step into the water was cold. She was so used to the warm waters of Cyprus. She kicked up the water, it splashing along her legs. Once she had gotten used to it, she smiled brightly, proceeding to dance rather embarrassingly along the beach. "The bird that sings, their chirping song!" Alina sang, while she spun and dipped, splashing up the water.

"They come and go, to see May roses," she continued, drifting further into the water. "and August apples..." Her voice drifted off, while she spun around and dipping low to the water, feeling the cold on her skin. The lullaby making her heart ache, when she remembered how her brother used to sing it for her when she was just a babe.

Dawn was deep into the fantasy world of West Carter, when she was suddenly dragged out from the sound of footsteps. By the amount of sound made, Dawn was sure there had to be at least four people approaching. But with the leaves in the way she couldn't tell, so she was overly surprised when one girl appeared. The girl seemed to have a bubbly careless personality by the way she dropped everything and shedded her coat and shoes. Dawn laughed quietly at that as she curled her own bare toes. Thinking that it'd be peaceful, since it's just one girl, Dawn turned back to her book and began reading once again.

She had read around a paragraph, when she heard the girl singing and splashing in the water. She looked down and saw the girl had started to dance in the water. At this moment, Dawn didn't know what to do. If she put herself in the girls place, she really wouldn't want anyone to see her singing and dancing with the thought that no one was looking. With the rustling of the leaves, the lapping of the water and the whistling of the wind, it would have been possible to stealthily slip away. But as Dawn finished off her chocolate, she attempted to put the wrapper back into her pocket, only to have it drift away into the lake.

Dawn had been taught by her father not to litter, so she was torn between her fathers words and just walking away. With an expression of horror, she dropped her book on the floor and swung down landing gracefully onto the ground with a light thud. Leaving her decision obvious, she left her book behind and quietly advanced into the water. The cold water hit her hard enough to make her wince. "Almost there.." ,she whispered looking at the wrapper floating gently on the water. The bottom of her skirt had began to absorb the water as she swiftly grabbed the wrapper. As she turned to leave, she was distracted by the fact that the girl had stopped making noise. Oh my god, she has spotted me, she thought quickly just before she tripped over a rock and fell face forward into the water.

Alina finished her song, turning around happily before coming face to face with a stunned young girl that looked like she was sitting nearly full bodied into the coolness of the Great Lake. After careful inspection, Alina saw she held what looked to be garbage in her hands.

Alina stood there, mouth gaping open, her mind willing her to say something, anything. Instead a quick shriek escaped her lips, her hands shooting up to cover the redness that covered her face. "Oh my goodness! I am SO sorry, did I kick you? Is that my fault?" Alina's words tumbled from her mouth as she rushed forward to the dazed girl. "My papa always said that my airheadedness would get me in trouble! I am SO sorry!" Alina gushed, pulling the girl up, wincing at how completely soaked the poor girl was.

"I didn't...I was completely in my own head. I should have been more careful. Geez, your poor uniform, what could I do? I don't even know any good spells for this!" Alina's knees quivered with nervousness. She pulled the poor girl away from the water, and pulled a soft white towel from her backpack and wrapped it around the shivering shoulders of the girl. "Please forgive me." Her voice was small and sad. She rubbed absently at the girls' shoulders, avoiding her gaze, no doubt expecting her to start yelling at her for what she had done. Why didn't she pay attention! Her life would have been so much easier if she did.

Dawn gasped as she surface the water and coughed a bit, feeling embarrassed that she almost drowned in such a shallow part of the water. The shame, oh, the shame! she thought as she imagined drowning in shallow water. Father would not be impressed. She then remembered that before she fell she was trying to sneak away to leave the girl in peace. Dawn looked up and found herself being pulled out of the water and led towards the ground.

Before Dawn could register what was happening or what the girl was saying, she was suddenly sitting on the warm grass with a soft towel wrapped around her. When the words of the girl slowly soaked into Dawn she began saying with a sincere smile,"Uh, thank you for lending a hand. But don't fret too much, I can just get changed and...I just tripped on a rock." Dawn flushed at the thought and looked at the girl up close."My name is Dawn."

Alina couldn't stop the shamed blush that graced her cheeks. "Honestly, I am so sorry. It was probably my fault." She laughed, sitting down beside the girl on the dry grass. Alina pulled her knees up to her chest, the wetness of her uniform barely bothering her. Alina took in the appearance of the dark-haired girl beside her. The uniform clung to her frame, and Alina couldn't help but feel responsible for how completely soaked the poor girl was.

"My papa always said I was like a hurricane, and anyone around me got pulled into my chaos." She smiled, before looking out at the horizon. Event though she felt chilled, for the first time in a long time, she had felt at home. Water was such an imporant part of herlife, that no matter what temperature it was, it was perfect to her. "It's nice to meet you Dawn. I'm Alina. Dawn is such a beautiful name. It's my favorite time of day, to be honest." She giggled, pulling a second towel from her backpack, and wrapping it around her shivering shoulders. "Do you have a brother named Dusk?" She teased. Already the coolness of the water was affecting her. " I'm Gryffindor. You? Do you like swimming or was that just an accident?"

Dawn saw how sorry the girl who introduced herself as Alina looked and Dawn felt bad that she'd clashed trouble on someone else. Alina complimented Dawn's name, that made her blush and asked if Dawn had a brother named Dusk and Dawn laughed,"Nope, but I sure wish I did." Being the only child in her household of two felt lonely sometimes.

She watched as Alina wrapped a towel around herself and explained that she's a Gryffindor and asked what Dawn was."I'm Ravenclaw. By the way you're name is beautiful too, it's unique and I like that." said Dawn with a grin. When Alina led the conversation back to the lake, Dawn blushed once again and with a roll of her eyes she laughed ,"You see, I like swimming, but that there, was an accident."

Dawn looked out to the water and said with a grin,"And I might have seen a bit of dancing and a little bit of singing." She looked back at the blond haired girl, who had a smile that seemed permanently placed on her face. The amount of joy added up seemed to brighten up the area. She even has a smile in her eyes! Dawn thought wondering how it was possible. The fellow Gryffindor seemed to be the definition of happiness.

Alina grinned. "Ravenclaw? You must be really smart then! You like my name? Thank you! My mama named me it because it means 'light', and I was born during a tropical storm. There was a lot of bad lightning during it. She said it was a good omen." Alina shrugged.

When Dawn commented on seeing her sing and dance, her entire face went a bright shade of red. "Oh my goodness, you saw that?" She exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands. "That's so embarrassing! I didn't think anyone was around." She peaked out from behind her fingers. "My brother used to sing that song to me, it's an old Cypriot lullaby for children." Alina's gaze turned out to the lake, watching the tide ebb and flow. "So, miss Dawn, how are you liking Hogwarts so far? You're first year too, right?" She asked, turning her attention back to the now, slightly more dry girl beside her.

Like Dawn, Alina had a meaning behind her name regarding nature. After explaining her name, Alina began talking about the mystic song she was singing a few moments ago. It was then that Dawn noticed, besides noting she was more dry than before, thanks to the soft towel, that Alina talked and referred to her family a lot. When Alina asked if Dawn was enjoying Hogwarts and if she was a first year too, Dawn actually stopped to think about the question. Not the latter, rather the former. Did she really enjoy Hogwarts? She collected her experiences together and sorted them out, finding the good of Hogwarts and weighing it out with the odds.

Realizing the long period of silence, she quickly said,"Oh, I guess it's good, like there is always something to do. I love exploring, except when I'm in the middle of reading. I mean like with a huge castle and a forest sitting right next to it, it's practically itching to be explored. Then there's the food, which is delicious. The people are really nice. It really is peaceful and there is no need to hide your identity, so here I can be myself. " explained Dawn with a grin. "How about you? Are you enjoying Hogwarts?"

Dawn had answered her question about the castle and Alina loved to her about it. "Oh, I guess it's good, like there is always something to do. I love exploring, except when I'm in the middle of reading. I mean like with a huge castle and a forest sitting right next to it, it's practically itching to be explored." Alina gasped, leaning forward, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "I heard some third years talking about a special room, called the Room of Requirement. It only appears when someone really, really needs something. And when you're inside, whatever you need, it'll appear." Alina's eyes shone bright with excitement and wonder.

This castle as magic, pure untamed magic and she wanted to see it all! "Then there's the food, which is delicious. The people are really nice. It really is peaceful and there is no need to hide your identity, so here I can be myself. " Dawn continued and Alina listened intently. She had completely agreed with Dawn. "People are nice, sometimes I find they're a bit distant. Or maybe I'm just too forward," she murmured sadly as Dawn continued. "How about you? Are you enjoying Hogwarts?" All kinds of emotions bubbled up inside her, and she wasn't sure which one she wanted to choose.

"I love it," she blurted. "I really do. Just being surrounded with this much magic, and teachers that are so passionate about what they do? It's just...amazing. I wish my brother to help guide me around," She added, turning to look at her partner. "Sometimes though, I wish I had a best friend here. It's been a couple days I know it doesn't happen that fast, but I feel kind of lonely." Her voice dropped as she admired the groups of people passing by. "I think I might just miss my family. Do you?"