11 Aug 2018, 00:59
Hiding in Plain Sight
Lara had spent the past eleven years of her life in the same place. She’d been born in the master bath of her family’s home, and she’d attended the same muggle school, with the same group of kids, from nursery to fifth grade. She spent every summer day playing along the coast with her friends or siblings or cousins, and she’d slept in the same bed, in the same room, since she’d outgrown her crib. She’d left Wales exactly twice in her life, both times to visit her French grandparents, but she’d been so young at the time she hardly remembered them (or the trip) at all.
So needless to say, as excited as she’d been to come to Hogwarts, it was all a bit overwhelming. She’d thought she’d fit right in, that she’d make friends as soon as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall and that she’d feel at home the moment she stepped foot in the Ravenclaw Common Room, her brothers welcoming her in.
And then she’d been sorted into Slytherin.
It might not have been so bad, except that Hogwarts was already filled to the brim with Youngblood kids, and there was absolutely no way she could face her family right now. Sitting on the grass by the Great Lake was a risky move, considering she’d had to slip right past her sister in the courtyard on her way out, but it was definitely proving to be worth it. Just getting to see the easy rippling of the water, hearing the gentle waves lapping against the shore; she felt the most at-peace she had since she’d been sorted.
Now, she took out her pencil (which was much more convenient than a quill, no matter what anybody said) and notebook, and scrawled The Great Lake at the top of the page. She glanced around, hoping to find another friendly student hanging out nearby. When nobody caught her eye - was it because she was a Slytherin? - she sighed to herself, then began to sketch the scene in front of her.
So needless to say, as excited as she’d been to come to Hogwarts, it was all a bit overwhelming. She’d thought she’d fit right in, that she’d make friends as soon as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall and that she’d feel at home the moment she stepped foot in the Ravenclaw Common Room, her brothers welcoming her in.
And then she’d been sorted into Slytherin.
It might not have been so bad, except that Hogwarts was already filled to the brim with Youngblood kids, and there was absolutely no way she could face her family right now. Sitting on the grass by the Great Lake was a risky move, considering she’d had to slip right past her sister in the courtyard on her way out, but it was definitely proving to be worth it. Just getting to see the easy rippling of the water, hearing the gentle waves lapping against the shore; she felt the most at-peace she had since she’d been sorted.
Now, she took out her pencil (which was much more convenient than a quill, no matter what anybody said) and notebook, and scrawled The Great Lake at the top of the page. She glanced around, hoping to find another friendly student hanging out nearby. When nobody caught her eye - was it because she was a Slytherin? - she sighed to herself, then began to sketch the scene in front of her.
Last edited by Lara Youngblood on 23 Aug 2018, 00:14, edited 2 times in total.
13 Aug 2018, 02:33
Hiding in Plain Sight
Amaya slowly drifted out of the castle, stepping into the meadow barefoot if only to enjoy the crumbling dirt beneath her feet and the soft grass that cushioned her feet. Giving the area a small glance, Amaya wandered around the Grounds, searching for a good place to sit. She basked in the soft sunlight beaming down on her, enjoying the occasional, refreshing breeze, as she continued to seek a good area to seat herself.
Eventually, Amaya found another Slytherin who was currently drawing something, and Amaya decided to take her place there. It was close to the Great Lake, a place Amaya had grown fond of even after what had just been a short amount of time. She loved the place.
Amaya gave the other Slytherin a quick glance before lying down on the soft grass, finding comfort merely just by letting the minutes tick by. Amaya found herself listening to the nearby, soft murmurings of other students, if only to mentally collect "information". It seemed that people really did love to gossip. As interesting as it all was, eventually, Amaya lapsed into boredom. She surveyed her surroundings once more, in search of something that would calm her boredom.
Finally, Amaya gave the Slytherin another glance, yawning, before finally, she spoke. Turning around on her side, she faced the other girl with half-hearted interest and a small spark of curiosity.
"Hi."
Eventually, Amaya found another Slytherin who was currently drawing something, and Amaya decided to take her place there. It was close to the Great Lake, a place Amaya had grown fond of even after what had just been a short amount of time. She loved the place.
Amaya gave the other Slytherin a quick glance before lying down on the soft grass, finding comfort merely just by letting the minutes tick by. Amaya found herself listening to the nearby, soft murmurings of other students, if only to mentally collect "information". It seemed that people really did love to gossip. As interesting as it all was, eventually, Amaya lapsed into boredom. She surveyed her surroundings once more, in search of something that would calm her boredom.
Finally, Amaya gave the Slytherin another glance, yawning, before finally, she spoke. Turning around on her side, she faced the other girl with half-hearted interest and a small spark of curiosity.
"Hi."
Amaya Elizabeth Bourne
13 Aug 2018, 04:30
Hiding in Plain Sight
Lara watched a dark-haired girl approach from the corner of her eye, the pencil in her hand slowing a bit as her concentration drifted. She waited for the other Slytherin to speak, but instead she just laid down on the grass nearby, seeming content on her own. Lara wanted to say something - desperately wanted to introduce herself, to take a shot at making another friend, to try and feel less alone in a school with so many students - but she also didn’t want to be rude. After all, maybe the girl had come over here to get away from all the other kids. Maybe she was enjoying the quiet. Maybe she was finding solace in the silence. Who was Lara to disrupt that?
And so, the quiet between them remained unbroken, and it was only a few minutes before Lara all but forgotten about the other Slytherin. The soft sounds of the lake, combined with the background murmurs of nearby students, formed a blanket of comforting white noise around her; the sun warmed her face, sinking into her robes and her dark hair. She finished sketching the lake, and began to add smaller details, tilting her pencil to shade with the soft side of the lead.
She offered a cheerful wave, the pencil woven between three fingers on her hand.
“Hi!” she replied, a bit over-enthusiastically. “My name’s Lara. Lara Youngblood.”
And so, the quiet between them remained unbroken, and it was only a few minutes before Lara all but forgotten about the other Slytherin. The soft sounds of the lake, combined with the background murmurs of nearby students, formed a blanket of comforting white noise around her; the sun warmed her face, sinking into her robes and her dark hair. She finished sketching the lake, and began to add smaller details, tilting her pencil to shade with the soft side of the lead.
Lara let out a quiet sound of surprise, then looked to her side to make sure that the greeting was, indeed, meant for her. Sure enough, the girl she’d seen approach earlier had turned to face Lara, and was now watching her with an expression Lara couldn’t quite read."Hi."
She offered a cheerful wave, the pencil woven between three fingers on her hand.
“Hi!” she replied, a bit over-enthusiastically. “My name’s Lara. Lara Youngblood.”
13 Aug 2018, 13:56
Hiding in Plain Sight
Amaya waved back, giving her a careful smile. ”I’m Amaya Bourne. Sorry for scaring you... Whatcha drawing?”
Amaya had to keep herself from cringing at the informal way she’d spoken, instead, letting her face carry on the small smile like nothing happened. She did mentally berate herself, though, and decided that she wouldn’t fix it as that would make it worse.
Amaya inched closer to peek over at the drawing, smile growing wider as she noticed the shadowing of the lake and she breathed sharply in appreciation.
“That... Looks... Really, really, good!” Amaya grinned, letting herself take on a look of jealousy and envy. “Waves are the hardest things to draw. Ever. Next to animals, of course, but not including humans if you only show their backs... But human faces are really, really annoying. Not even that, but it’s the nose I hate. Ugh, noses.”
Quickly stopping herself before she could ramble on, Amaya examined the drawing thoroughly, amazed by the skill. It wasn’t perfect, as it was drawn by a eleven year old and not someone older and with more experience, but it was still beautiful. It looked as if it was drawn by someone older. Amaya moved into a more attentive position, sitting upright and prepared to watch her work, if only to “learn her secrets”.
Amaya had to keep herself from cringing at the informal way she’d spoken, instead, letting her face carry on the small smile like nothing happened. She did mentally berate herself, though, and decided that she wouldn’t fix it as that would make it worse.
Amaya inched closer to peek over at the drawing, smile growing wider as she noticed the shadowing of the lake and she breathed sharply in appreciation.
“That... Looks... Really, really, good!” Amaya grinned, letting herself take on a look of jealousy and envy. “Waves are the hardest things to draw. Ever. Next to animals, of course, but not including humans if you only show their backs... But human faces are really, really annoying. Not even that, but it’s the nose I hate. Ugh, noses.”
Quickly stopping herself before she could ramble on, Amaya examined the drawing thoroughly, amazed by the skill. It wasn’t perfect, as it was drawn by a eleven year old and not someone older and with more experience, but it was still beautiful. It looked as if it was drawn by someone older. Amaya moved into a more attentive position, sitting upright and prepared to watch her work, if only to “learn her secrets”.
Amaya Elizabeth Bourne
13 Aug 2018, 23:01
Hiding in Plain Sight
“Oh, don’t worry about it, I just wasn’t paying enough attention,” Lara reassured her, grinning easily. Then she picked up her journal, which she’d set down in the grass beside her when Amaya had spoken, and turned it to show her. She knew her drawing wasn’t her best, which was a little embarrassing, but the other girl seemed enthusiastic, so hopefully the actual quality wouldn’t matter too much.”I’m Amaya Bourne. Sorry for scaring you... Whatcha drawing?”
“It’s the lake,” she explained, as if that wasn’t obvious from the drawing, as well as from the words ‘The Great Lake’ written at the top of the page. “I wanted to be able to see it even when I wasn’t actually out here, you know?”
Lara nodded along in agreement, understanding exactly where Amaya was coming from. Her cousin Fiona had started teaching her and some of her other cousins to draw years ago, but other than Lara, none really took it seriously anymore. It was nice to find somebody her own age to talk to about it.“Waves are the hardest things to draw. Ever. Next to animals, of course, but not including humans if you only show their backs... But human faces are really, really annoying. Not even that, but it’s the nose I hate. Ugh, noses.”
“Noses suck,” she agreed, after Amaya had gone suddenly quiet, focussed on Lara’s drawing. “But it’s the eyes that really get me. I can never make them both quite the same, and the eyelashes always end up looking all fake. Like, they're either way too thick, like hair or something, or they're just a bunch of weird lines.”
By the time she’d finished speaking, she noticed that Amaya had shifted beside her, and now sat upright, with a better view of Lara’s paper and an attentive look on her face. Was she waiting for Lara to finish her drawing? That would be cool. Most people liked to look at her pictures after she’d finished them, but aside from Fiona, nobody really cared about how she’d gotten there. Tentatively, she resumed working on her trees, trying to get the texture of the leaves right.
20 Aug 2018, 22:41
Hiding in Plain Sight
Reducio
OOC: I really apologize for the late reply, I know it’s been a couple of weeks and I’m really sorry. I’ve just been a little busy lately and I’m really sorry for forcing you to wait this long for a reply!
Amaya nodded. There was a quiet, serene beauty in the Great Lake, and no matter how many times you visited it, it was always captivating. But part of it all was in the soft warmth and breeze that seemed to always come with the package, always so perfect.
“Eyelashes also suck. Like I’ve seen a lot of drawings of eyes that are really, really good, and I understand them, but I don’t understand them, if you know what I’m talking about... I just don’t get how people draw them so bloody well...” Amaya sighed wistfully, before paying more attention as Lara began to work on her trees once more, carefully examining the way she drew the leaves in her delicate, careful strokes. Amaya smiled, letting her eyes rake over every little detail of the drawing once more, comparing it to her own, occasional drawings. She found herself brainstorming ways to improve her own drawings, yet refused to copy Lara’s style and found herself looking forward to when she would return to her dorm and find her sketchbook, trying out new techniques and ideas to find what she truly liked to draw. Amaya quickly returned her attention back to the drawing, comparing the Lake to what Lara was drawing and finding herself rather amazed by how accurate it was.
Last edited by Amaya Bourne on 21 Aug 2018, 02:35, edited 1 time in total.
Amaya Elizabeth Bourne
21 Aug 2018, 00:19
Hiding in Plain Sight
Reducio
It's all good! Don't even worry about it. Things come up 
Even after she felt like her drawing was done, Lara kept her pencil on the page, nit-picking at the tiniest details - ones she usually wouldn’t have really cared about, or taken note of at all. Fixing a spot of grass. Trying to capture the way the sun glimmered on the water’s surface. Softly shading the faraway hills in the background, wanting the hazy, distant atmosphere present in real life to transfer to the paper.
Mostly, of course, she just didn’t want Amaya to leave. It was nice having somebody nearby; Lara had been spending more time alone, lately, than she could ever be comfortable with. She'd grown up in a big family: lots of siblings, lots of cousins, lots of friends. There was nothing more boring than having her only company be herself.
“You’re a first-year, too, right?” she ventured. “I think I remember seeing you, at the ceremony.”
Hopefully, she thought, if she could get the black-haired girl involved in some sort of conversation, she would stay a little longer. Lara looked up from her page, biting her bottom lip as she considered the lake before her, then glancing back down. It wasn’t bad. One of her better drawings, probably. Maybe all the magic in the air was making her a better artist than she actually was.
Last edited by Lara Youngblood on 21 Aug 2018, 02:41, edited 1 time in total.
21 Aug 2018, 02:34
Hiding in Plain Sight
Reducio
Thank you! 
Amaya glanced up, humming in reply. “Yup! Though... I wasn’t really paying attention during the ceremony, which I’m sorry to say... So I didn’t notice anyone...sorry...”
Amaya gave Lara a small, sheepish grin. “So... Excited for Slytherin? Or were you hoping for some other House? I know Slytherin... has a bad reputation.”
That was a understatement. Amaya could recall the dirty looks sent her way as she walked the halls, the stereotypes that everyone threw the House under. Honestly, if everyone was always so negative towards the House, then it was no wonder why some Slytherins turned out that way!
At least, that’s what a eleven year old, naive girl thought. That didn’t stop Amaya from hoping that Lara wasn’t one of them. Amaya refocused, and gave her another small smile. It was a tentative, shy one, and Amaya hoped it spoke for her, especially with her not quite knowing what to say.
Amaya tried to redirect the conversation, if only to keep herself from falling into a silence for too long. “So...Um... What do you usually like to draw? I usually play with shadows, or draw borders... Those are really the only things that I can draw.”
Amaya laughed awkwardly, and mentally cursed as she glanced down because grass was suddenly the most interesting thing in the wizarding world.
Amaya Elizabeth Bourne
21 Aug 2018, 04:01
Hiding in Plain Sight
The truth: being sorted into Slytherin had felt like a death sentence to Lara. Nobody in her family would speak to her anymore - You know what Ravenclaw means to your grandparents. You know what Slytherin means to this family, her father had told her, in the single letter he’d written. I think your silence is what’s best for the family. If she could have gone back in time, Lara would have rather stayed home from Hogwarts forever than have boarded that train knowing what awaited her. It was dramatic, sure, but she felt like drama suited the situation.“So... Excited for Slytherin? Or were you hoping for some other House? I know Slytherin... has a bad reputation.”
But she didn’t say that. Rather, she settled for the easier answer.
“I would have, uh… Preferred something else. I don’t really belong in Slytherin.” Realizing how rude that might’ve sounded, she quickly added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s not about the reputation, or whatever. It’s just that Ravenclaw’s where I’m supposed to be, y’know?” She shrugged, trying to make it sound like she didn't care as much as she did. “What about you? Did you wanna be in Slytherin?”
She grinned back at Amaya’s shy smile, hoping that it would help put her at ease. She knew that a lot of people weren’t as loud as she tended to be, and although she did sometimes worry that people might find her overwhelming, she rarely tried to hide it.
“I like to draw scenery and stuff, mostly. I’m pretty bad at drawing people, and I always feel bad when they end up looking all messed up. Especially if I’m trying to draw, like, a friend or something. Like, you’re not ugly, I promise! I’m just bad at drawing!” She laughed a little, twirling her pencil with her fingers. “Shadows, huh? That’s kinda cool. I’m not that great with the whole light-and-dark stuff. Maybe you could show me sometime.”
21 Aug 2018, 13:50
Hiding in Plain Sight
Amaya nodded. “Yeah. I’ve always loved Slytherin. Even though I don’t think I align with it properly, that my personality doesn’t quite match, I love it. Ambitious, clever, resourceful: that’s the kind of person I want to be.”
There was also the threat of angry parents looming around, sending owls or howlers. But she was fine. They had sent nothing to her. Nothing. This meant she was doing well... right?
Amaya pushed her thoughts away, and glanced at Lara, laughing and offering Lara a smile dancing with amusement. “People really are hard to draw, aren’t they? And... Sure! I’m personally terrible at drawing sceneries. I can’t ever seem to get grass or trees right... so maybe we could teach each other![/color]”
“Also... What are your favorite hobbies? Personally, I love reading and writing...,” Amaya looked away. “And... What’s your favorite subject? Personally, I’m looking forward to Potions the most.”
Understatements. With writing, she poured out her soul and everything that came with it. It was what helped her mold her mask, to help her hide everything beneath that small, easy smile, to draw on memories to make fake genuine.
With Potions, she had hopes that her parents would be proud. Potions had been one thing that they had approved of, but deep down, Amaya knew she would never get a Potions Mastery. It just didn’t suit her.
But she was content with becoming a writer. A writer where she would share the pieces she held so dear, so close to the heart, finally spilling the secrets embedded through writing. But her parents had never approved of her writing. To them, it was useless, a job that would not support her. Amaya decided, right then and there, that she would fight for herself, for once. When she was a Seventh Year. Then she would flee into the world, finally free and finally herself. Finally who she was, finally who she wished to be.
Amaya shoved the thoughts into a corner of her mind for another time, and quickly recovered from what must have been her lost, blank expression, and sighed. She soothed herself by closing her eyes and letting the soft, rolling sounds of the waters calm her, and she opened her eyes, giving Lara another small smile.
There was also the threat of angry parents looming around, sending owls or howlers. But she was fine. They had sent nothing to her. Nothing. This meant she was doing well... right?
Amaya pushed her thoughts away, and glanced at Lara, laughing and offering Lara a smile dancing with amusement. “People really are hard to draw, aren’t they? And... Sure! I’m personally terrible at drawing sceneries. I can’t ever seem to get grass or trees right... so maybe we could teach each other![/color]”
“Also... What are your favorite hobbies? Personally, I love reading and writing...,” Amaya looked away. “And... What’s your favorite subject? Personally, I’m looking forward to Potions the most.”
Understatements. With writing, she poured out her soul and everything that came with it. It was what helped her mold her mask, to help her hide everything beneath that small, easy smile, to draw on memories to make fake genuine.
With Potions, she had hopes that her parents would be proud. Potions had been one thing that they had approved of, but deep down, Amaya knew she would never get a Potions Mastery. It just didn’t suit her.
But she was content with becoming a writer. A writer where she would share the pieces she held so dear, so close to the heart, finally spilling the secrets embedded through writing. But her parents had never approved of her writing. To them, it was useless, a job that would not support her. Amaya decided, right then and there, that she would fight for herself, for once. When she was a Seventh Year. Then she would flee into the world, finally free and finally herself. Finally who she was, finally who she wished to be.
Amaya shoved the thoughts into a corner of her mind for another time, and quickly recovered from what must have been her lost, blank expression, and sighed. She soothed herself by closing her eyes and letting the soft, rolling sounds of the waters calm her, and she opened her eyes, giving Lara another small smile.
Amaya Elizabeth Bourne