Missing Home Closed

Jenni walked down to the lake for some fresh air and just to relax. She felt quite lonely... having barely anyone to talk to, and well... she didn't have many friends. And oh, how she missed home. She missed her father's lame jokes, and her brother's cheerful personality. Jenni remembered being so excited to go to Hogwarts! She imagined so much knowledge she could learn and all the people she would meet. But she wasn't being very realistic. So far, her first few weeks at Hogwarts were terrifying but fun at the same time. But today, Jenni wanted nothing more than to come home.

Jenni wasn't in her school clothes, so hopefully nobody would recognize her. As she approached the lake, she saw a boy. A Gryffindor boy by the looks of it. The girl walked towards him, curious at what he was doing. He was kind of close to the edge of the water... but he was reading something. Oh, Jenni loved books. Which was why she probably came over to him. 

Jenni walked to the boy and sat down next to him. "I hope you don't mind." She said, feeling slightly nervous. Jenni didn't want to be seen as a freak. Or a loner. Perhaps this boy would be a friend. "I'm Jennifer, Jennifer Rome." She took out a hard surface, a piece of parchment and her quill. Her parents wanted her to write back every week, but oh, the thought of home only made her miss it more.

Fenix poured over his book in a desperate attempt to lose himself within its pages. Reading often provided a welcome distraction from his anxious mind. He was startled by the unexpected presence that pulled him from the world of Murtlaps and their curative tentacles. 

He looked up from his copy of Fantastic Beasts to see a young girl sitting down next to him and pulling out parchment and quill. Fenix is both confused but pleasantly surprised. "Oh, hello, I'm Fenix. Fenix Black." Fenix was excited that anyone was talking to him really. He'd been here what felt like ages and hadn't made any friends at all. Sure he wasn't really a social butterfly but he certainly didn't like feeling alone. 

He quickly tried to think of something to say, as he didn't want to risk missing this opportunity to finally make a friend here at Hogwarts. He had noticed that Jenni spoke with an American accent and saw it as an opportunity for, at the very least, a conversation about something he knew about or at the very least could relate to a bit.  "Are you American? My mum is as well. I spend most of my summers there with my grandparents."

Jenni glanced down at her parchment, distracted about what she was going to write. She was just a tiny bit scared when he didn't reply right away. Was he creeped out? She did have a tendency to scare people, but hopefully this person would be considerate. They were both first years too... Glancing at him, she smiled when he introduced himself as 'Fenix Black'. "It's good to meet you, Fenix," smiling softly, Jenni nodded when he asked if she was American. "Yes, I'm American. My brother and I both were born in California. You have grandparents in America? That's pretty cool!" Smiling, she asked, "So how do you like it there?"

Jenni was born in America, and lived there for all her life. Occasionally, she went to Scotland to visit distance relatives. There was something about Fenix's accent that made her think about Scotland. Perhaps he was Scottish. "Are you Scottish?" She asked, noticing that he wasn't like the other kids. He didn't laugh at her, or run away from her. Fenix actually tried to start a conversation with her. Something was quite different about him. Jenni was starting to think he would be a good friend. But still, she barely knew him. Hopefully, that was going to change.

Fenix smiled back at her, "I am Scottish, yeah. My dad is from Liddesdale. We all live there on our farm. It's not a really big farm or anything, just a few chickens, a large vegetable garden,  a cow, and a sheep named Sheila." Fenix paused as he was hit with a wave of grief from missing home, but he pushes it to the back of his mind when he remembers that he hadn't answered her question. "I like it here, alright. I just miss home some times." He looked out at the Lake as he spoke, "It's just my first time being away from anyone I know so I guess it will just take some getting used to, right?" Fenix smiled.

"When I miss it too much I just think about my summers with my grandparents in America. They're from New York. When I visit them in the summer, we always spend at least one day each visit entirely in the city. We'd have breakfast at a local cafe, go to the Bronx Zoo to see the penguins, then we'd drive to a small bakery in Hoboken and eat fresh cannolis." 

Fenix looked turned his gaze from the lake and back to Jenni, "What about you? How are you getting on here? Do you miss America?"

Jennifer smiled, pleased when he responded. Perhaps not everyone was freaked out by her... "That's so cool! I've never had any animals or pets before. How's it like? Is it difficult to take care of them?" She grinned, and happily thought what it was like to have a pet. Jennifer was a bit... irresponsible, so her parents didn't allow her to have a pet. Not even a fish!

When Fenix began to say how he liked it at Hogwarts, but missed home sometimes, Jenni nodded slightly. She felt the same way. "Oh, Hogwarts is just amazing," Jenni began, smiling, "but I feel the same way you do. I send letters home every week, but I still feel lost, unwanted. I really miss home." Jenni stared out at the lake, watching the water ripple. "I'm sure we'll both get used to it though." Jenni added, smiling back at Fenix, "We just need something to distract ourselves with."

As Jenni's companion spoke about his summers with his grandparents, she grinned. It was always great to talk about the good memories. "You should visit California, they have such amazing cafes and restaurants." Jenni said, laughing. "I've actually never been to a zoo. My brother doesn't like big animals."

Smiling when he asked about her, Jenni stared back at the lake. It broke her heart to talk about home. "Don't get me wrong, I love Hogwarts. All the lessons, magic... It's incredible. I do miss home though. I miss my brother, my father. America has been my home since I was a little girl. It hurts me to take comfort someplace else."

"My father and brother would used to play card games on Friday evenings after muggle school. We would watch movies, go out to places. Sometimes, we would go bowling until the owner of the place kicked us out." Jenni giggled, smiling at the sweet memories. "I think we both need to distract ourselves," Jenni said, smiling. "What do you like most about Hogwarts?"

Fenix looked down and then out at the lake again.

  "I'm not sure. Not yet anyway."

Fenix's time at Hogwarts had been a bit shaky so far. He'd been sorted in a different house than his dad, gotten into trouble without intending to, and nearly killed another student with an out of hand Fumos charm...

"It is a beautiful aesthetic though, Hogwarts," Fenix said gesturing to the castle, "Fiery sunsets igniting the limestone walls... It reminds me of when my grandparents and I took a camping trip to Colorado one summer. The sunsets off the Rocky Mountains that weekend looked a lot like that."

He said turning back to the Lake. 

"At least I imagine they would have... It rained the entire time!" He said with a laugh, "The first day it rained so hard that we all had to stay in the RV for 16 hours straight. When we tried to go on a hike it looked like we'd been wading in a bog all day."

Fenix laughed. 

"I guess things are easier if only the places change but the faces don't. Maybe that's why I was so happy when I went to America for the first time but coming here terrified me. What about you? What do you like most so far about Hogwarts?"