Summer Camp Flood Welcoming Bonfire

MENTIONS!
N/A
INTERACTIONS!
Lucy O'Sullivan

Wow. Well. Okay. He had let his words run again and it was bad. Who knows what people could have overheard about this or that. Anatole was never one for gossip, and certainly he never meant to start anything, but with one slip-up he could easily lose his job. Thankfully, he trusted Lucy. She was a Prefect, like him, and wouldn't leak anything he ever said. After all, he was sure that she hadn't told anyone about her fall, or Valtome, or any of the ordeal. It was between the two of them.

Rosie's...well...thing (there were no other words to call it)...had taken a toll on him ever since the ball. It was a simple slip-up, yeah, but it ended up being much bigger than it was, like the stairs were. A trick of the eye. Step the wrong way, and you plummet into the darkness, where Anatole was right now. Trapped below and wishing he had some sort of light to guide the spell to get him out. Hopefully, Prefect would help get his mind off of it all...wasn't that what Summer Camp was for?

Oh screw it, he needed to get happy. There was no need to sulk around when there was fun to be had!

He snickered with a smile. It hurt that he felt this way, but her outlook made it seem so much better. Anatole was beaming now, folding his knees in and turning towards her. "I'll poop on them all I want. They'll just have to deal, I suppose." He laughed, brushing his hair out of his face. "Panic's natural...and I hate to say it, but...uh...I've got a lot of that in me. Most likely nurtured in." Anatole sighed, watching the fire once more. He swore he saw even more figures on the other side of it.

"Okay, okay, let me tell you!" Lucy had good as cracked Anatole's shell. He was talking like he used to, with wise words plotted out ever so slightly. A controlled stream. "That incident was the bane of all first impressions! I can tell just by the way he looks at me in class that he still doesn't think fondly of me. That one little squint he always does! Gah...a chill always runs down my spine. Interesting subject and a totally interesting Professor...especially considering he's my boss now." Anatole grimaced, breaking out giggling immediately after. "Good luck if he addresses you with such eloquent verbiage." It was fun to mock the man.

"Really? That was pretty much the opposite for me. Started off the year with a few enemies, one of which disappeared into the crowd...uh...and I got myself tossed into much more than I honestly expected. I got through though...somehow...." He couldn't take himself seriously when he was open with people. There were so many things about his life that just seemed rather...laughable.

Wow. Well. Okay. Just observing Lucy in action made Anatole's heart lessen up on his sorrow. She, like many Huffles, knew exactly the way to make the stupid boy smile. It was sweet of her, to rush over here in the midst of stressful crowds. And these last words affirmed whatever piece of friendship they had. "Being alone is terrible. My mother always said I was an introvert, hey. Live up to the title." Anatole's grin began to fade and flicker. "I don't want to be lonely. It's lame, certainly introspective at that, whoa, more big words. It's just bad."

And at the faint shadow of the girl's finger, Anatole beamed, sticking out his small hand. "Pinky promise."

His slender pinky interlocked with hers and he peered into her eyes with a smile.

Friendship by firelight felt fantastic.

Normally Phaedra would've thought people watching to be quite fun, but not when there were swarms of mosquitoes landing on her arm every few seconds. Annoyed, she let out a harsh grunt as she slapped at her arms. One had already bit her and surely there would be some red swelling to show for it. Maybe wearing the light, floral dress wasn't all too beneficial after all. With a huff, Phaedra pushed herself off of the bench and dusted off the back and sides of her dress. After she was positive any dirt or splinters of wood weren't clinging to the fabric, she gave the campfire a glance. This in itself was a task for Phaedra - she had a slight fear of fire, but at the same time she couldn't just let herself remain at the mercy of blood-sucking pests. So up she went, now walking closer to the large bonfire.

Letting the fire warm her just enough, Phaedra stayed a safe distance from the inferno, watching warily as the flames danced around and flickered off of the firewood. The wind had suddenly shifted, luckily away from her, and the thick smog blew freely around the fireside and caused some of her other peers to seek fresh air. Breaking away from the crowd was her friend Max - just who she had wanted to talk to - coughing up a storm.

Phaedra turned in his direction so she could begin walking to him. He appeared to be away from the group of girls for once, but who knew how long that'd last. "Max..." she said over the commotion of other students, trailing off as if she hadn't just tried to avoid some of his friends a few minutes ago. Everything would be much easier now that she wasn't here. All they needed now was Eris Fawley (or anyone she didn't hate, really), and the Ravenclaw would be content.

"Um... Everything alright?" She raised an eyebrow and hovered a hand over his shoulder to console him if necessary. She was taught enough etiquette to know not to touch someone unless they said so, but she was pretty sure if someone was near death that rule could be thrown out of the window. "Don't die on me, Maxwell Avery," Phaedra joked with a grin. "We still have our dinner planned and frankly, my parents would hate to cancel."

He seemed to recover before any drastic measures would be needed, so lowering her hand she clasped her hands behind her back and nodded towards the bonfire, lazily shifting her weight on one leg. "Honestly, why do they even bother with fire all the time?" questioned the prefect. She had done a lot of questioning the professors' motives lately. "They must know about the number of pyromaniacs running around the castle, after all that's happened. Just wait - someone's going to throw a fit and it'll be the ball all over again." The girl was still a bit upset over having to cut her night short so she could guide injured students to the hospital wing, but luckily, all was made up for at the second event her friends organised. "Anyway, how are things for you? ...Need some water?" Phaedra offered, turning back around to quickly glance down at his throat then back at him again. She had come prepared with a flask of water somewhere in her bag; if he needed any she would gladly share.

This whole... camp thing, I mean. Like, in America, summer camps were just kids fooling around until they got hurt... but I feel like here, we'd actually learn something.

Mia laughed slightly, raising an eyebrow. Was that how camps where? She had grown up in America-left only when she hit seven-and had never once went to a camp that was full of kids fooling around until they got hurt. Merlin, if a kid got hurt there would be such a big fuss because the camp didn't want the parents to sue them.



Flipping her hair, Mia decided to agree with Ami. While she wasn't sure about the whole 'America's camps are bad' thing, she knew that Hogwarts Summer Camp would be educational. That was the only reason why she was allowed to stay.

Mother had sent quite a long letter detailing the benefits of going home-getting tutored, staying on top of practicing both her instruments and languages, and above all, coming to social events. Mia thought it a bunch of gorgon's s***. She had been, dutifully, practicing her instruments every day for 2 hours, and had translated every single assignment into either German, Latin, Spanish, or French-Hungarian was practically useless nowadays.

Still, she could feel her skills slipping. The way she played her pieces were rubbish compared to the ways she played them before. Her languages? Failing. It was just last week that she forgot how to say deoxyribonucleotide in Spanish.

Sighing, Mia turned towards Ami, opening her mouth.

Though I do not agree with half of your statement, I do think that this camp will be both fun and educational.

Interacts with Anatole Evans

The warmth of the firelight washed over the pair as the evening waxed into a beautiful sunset. The growing shadows made their conversation more secluded, sharper, almost larger-than-life, as if everything was magnified under a glass. Lucy felt her happiness intensely at this moment as she observed the orange-coloured display of magnificence. The weak orange light, combined with the playful fire movements, bathed the students surrounding the fire in a warm glow. The atmosphere was more effective than rose-coloured glasses. Lucy was sure her heart would burst at that moment; she felt that content.

Another chuckle escaped her as he described his rather complicated relationship with Valtome. “I don’t envy you in the slightest,” she replied, the skin around her eyes crinkling as she grinned. “Though I’m sorry your first year wasn’t… what you wanted?” Her statement ended in a question, unsure if his experience was more good than bad or more bad than good. Maybe he had been intentionally vague. She wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to push him. They had already had several serious moments, and Lucy’s spirit was already rejuvenated by their shallow dips into serious talk. She was ready to shake free of the heaviness. The sky, the fire, the atmosphere all begged her to throw her head back and drink in the surrounding nature, or… do a cartwheel, or something active and happy and carefree. She refrained, though, as she waited for that pinky finger connection.

“Being lonely is different from being alone,” Lucy responded, thinking about Anatole’s self-proclaimed introversion. However, she didn’t have time to ponder that distinction as Anatole returned her gesture. When his small pinky interlocked with her own, she squeezed her pinky down over his, held it for a good measure of time in solidarity until it just felt right, and then let go and dropped her hand. “There. Now we’ll never have a reason to be alone again!”

This pinky promise obviously would solve all of their problems. It didn’t occur to her that, one, they were not in the same cabin, and, two, they were not signed up for the same activities, but such trivial details didn’t matter at the moment. The temperature was dropping as twilight took over, and Lucy felt invigorated. She had contained her enthusiasm as long as she could, but the pinky promise gave her an extra surge of energy that could not be contained. She jumped to her feet, brushing off her butt and thighs which were most likely caked with dust, like her poor belongings. She likely didn’t succeed in getting it all, but she didn’t care. “And to seal off this pact,” she intoned dramatically, striking a pose in front of the fire with her hand raised above her face, “I must complete a tribal dance around the fire.”

With a whoop, she leapt toward the bonfire and started an awkward jig in a circle around it. The result was more of a sequence of a continuous hop-skip-leap as she cavorted around the flames, but after a few laps, she stopped, retreating from the heat a few steps back toward Anatole, lungs scrabbling for air. “Whew. That was … hotter than anticipated.”

Phaedra Stavrou

You just couldn't win in the beginning of summer, could you? If it wasn't the smoke getting in your lungs, it was the bugs that swarmed you the second you stepped out of the gray crap clogging up your airways. There had to be some sort of spell by now to keep them all away, or at the very least repel them in some way. How did muggles survive camping without a spell that did that? It was a mystery; perhaps muggles were tougher than anyone had ever dreamed, braving hundreds of those little red bumps to lay on dirt because they also had no spells to make a big tent.

Coughing and getting bitten, Max was so fed up he was about ready to head into one of the bathrooms and hide out there until the cabins were announced. It had been a long day of packing, owl-writing, chatting, and now this, and he was about ready to crash. He might've done just that when his coughing fit was over had Phaedra not approached him, thankfully content to just ask him how he was instead of laying a hand on his shoulder. "Am good," he got out, flashing her a grin and thumbs up before letting out one final cough and straightening up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and grimacing.

The reminder of their dinner turned his grimace into a much happier expression as he nodded enthusiastically, looking forward to it. Sure, this was really a thing the adults had all set up because they were planning on making connections, but it would be a ton of fun to check out the place Phaedra had come from. He wondered if her house would have different architecture or decorations since her family had come from Greece - he already knew she played a different instrument than the usual ones, and seeing her play it was something he still wanted since she'd agreed the day they'd been partners in potions.

Her next comment brought his attention back to the fire, and he eyed it warily, thinking about how many times people had gotten seriously hurt over the course of the year from fire. First there was that whole Hufflepuff campout thing that had traumatized a bunch of kids, then there was that York kid who'd set the BlossomBall alight, then there was the lock-in where he'd heard his dormmate had set a bunch of people on fire... Not to mention his own failures with the fire-making spell. "I swear it's like the school is cursed or something," he muttered hoarsely under his breath, the flickering flames also highlighting silhouettes of professors.

His unease about the adults of the school doing nothing when they clearly knew something was wrong came back full force, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Shaking his head to distract himself, he looked back at Phaedra with a weak grin. "Water sounds good, thanks." His voice was still slightly raspy and he cleared his throat a few more times before speaking again. "Is everything alright with you, by the way? It seemed like you were heading towards us but you just..." He trailed off, the unfinished statement hanging in the air.

Mentions: Max Avery
Interactions: None

Evianna smiled as Professor Scheinburg welcomed everyone to camp. Despite the professor's tone, she could tell that the tall blonde was far less excited than the group of second years assembled before her. Dropping her bags in the pile with the others, she stumbled through the darkness to the ring of light provided by the bonfire.

A large group of what Evianna assumed were the "popular" second-years took the side of the fire closest to the forest. Among them, she could recognize Eris Fawley. She gave the redhead a half-hearted wave before moving out of the smoke, and, sitting down on a bench, opened her book. Her father had sent it to her along with a pile of other books to read while at camp. They were mostly Muggle histories, with a few fantasy novels and historical fictions sprinkled in.

Evianna had always loved to read. Ever since discovering the library two blocks away from her family's Glasgow flat, she'd spent most of her afternoons there. It was a welcome break from the noise and bustle of Muggle school halls. Even at Hogwarts, she spent most of her time browsing the shelves of the school library instead of sitting the Common Room among her housemates.

With a start, the redheaded girl realised that her concentration had slipped away from her book. Her eyes were now trained on the bonfire; it was too dark to read. Evianna didn't know how long she'd held her current attitude. Closing her book, she pulled on the sleeve of her hoodie, wishing more than anything for a piece of bubblegum. She'd brought a pack of the Muggle candy with her, but it was in her knapsack over by the professors. Evianna wouldn't want to give them the completely correct impression that she was sneaking something out of her bag. Muggle things were, after all, strictly forbidden.

She only hoped that the ban wouldn't extend to something so harmless as a Polaroid camera. The box from her mother was concealed safely inside her knapsack. Evianna had received it in March for her twelfth birthday. Mum, although very thoughtful, was a Muggle. She hadn't realized that Muggle technology was forbidden at the Hogwarts castle.

She wasn't sure if the ban extended to bug spray, so she'd brought some. The stuff did wonders, even if it did stink. The redhead could see several other students slapping at bugs, swearing under their breath as the flies bit. She suppressed a chuckle at some particularly acrobatic efforts to swat the relentless insects by a nearby blonde boy.

The child tugged on a stray curl. The urge to get up and do something was almost too great to resist. Evianna really wanted to run to the playground, or into the Forest, or into the waters of the lake. However, she forced herself to remain still, seated on her log at the edge of the fire's light. The warm glow reminded her somewhat of the Blossom Ball.

When York had cast the spell, Evianna had been near enough to the table to be splashed by Professor Yorkinovych's water charm. She was still thankful that she had been soaked and not scarred; if she had stood only a few feet closer to the table, she might have been burned. The redhead had instead escaped with nothing but a soaked dress and ruined shoes.

With a sigh, Evianna shifted so that her elbows rested on her knees, preventing them from bouncing any more. Despite her current restlessness, she couldn't deny the peacefulness of the atmosphere. Gentle chatter from the second-years surrounded the immediate vicinity of the campfire; under that, one could hear the sound of water hitting the lakeshore and the rustling of leaves blown by the wind. The girl tried to focus on the pleasant ambiance instead of the sound of the other students' chatter.

MENTIONS!
N/A
INTERACTIONS!
Lucy O'Sullivan

Like the fire, the two only grew warmer to each other. They were now comfortable with talking about the overly serious and the overly silly right after each other, which was an incredible feat in itself. He took the ability to do so as a perfect sign that they had bonded to be closer than since that awkward corridor encounter. Thankfully, she wasn't another Anita Norwood. It was all picturesque in itself as Anatole didn't dare look back at the others, for it would ruin the moment and change the angle of his innocent shadow.

He was glad he could open up to her. It felt nice to let the troubles go with the plume of smoke arising from the fire and watch every worry fade away. Hopefully, the bright mood of this moment would carry on incessantly: throughout his camp experience and even beyond. It had been a bit of a dark time, and hopefully second year would bring a light like this.

"Oh, so it's not just me who despises this...um...this..." Gosh, where was a fancy word when he needed it? This impression had to be spot-on! "...this devilish elf! Yeah! That...that works! Big words!" The kid in him shone. Yes, there was a glimmer every now and then of the childhood spark his parents didn't have the fortune to endure with him most of the time. Patricia had kindled the ember until it grew big and tall.

Well, slightly short in his right, but that mattered not!

Nothing seemed to care! It was evening, no one would listen! No one would mind their childish games or tongue-sticking-out or silly words! It was the perfect time to escape the troubles of last year and embrace the coming year like a very good friend. "Hey...I bet I'll come back alright, I suppose. I think I just need a break. It'll be nice to be home for a change!" He snickered, slightly grinning but keeping his cool.

The pinky promise was a huge deal, he had heard. It was unbreakable. He couldn't let her down like he had let down a Hufflepuff before. It was important and should last for however long they remained friends. There was no way he'd let go of this...he couldn't!

Well, the only reason he'd let Lucy down is if another stair broke from under her.

A sudden chill fell over the campgrounds as Anatole brushed back his hair and watched the eager girl shoot to her feet with an equally eager grin. A...dance? A bit sudden, yeah. But the way she posed was that of a model. Place this little girl on a billboard!

And without many more words, she skipped around the flames like a native. Anatole clapped, whooping and hollering at her as she curved around the fire. He tracked her only from the small dashes and hesitations in the blaze, but the moved swiftly, and before he knew it, he had a breathless, sweaty blonde beside him. "Yeah...I bet. You okay?"

"I wonder how it's gonna work, then. This whole... camp thing, I mean. Like, in America, summer camps were just kids fooling around until they got hurt... but I feel like here, we'd actually learn something." Was it really like that in America? Surely, it couldn't be. Kids weren't that stupid nowadays were they? Then again, she had heard of some pretty, lets say, special kids that would mess around until they got hurt - just as this girl had mentioned.

"Though I do not agree with half of your statement, I do think that this camp will be both fun and educational." She nodded her head at the statement from Mia. As much as she didn't want to be at this camp, it was true. The professors would surely have something planned. After all, they weren't expected to sit around in silence all day, were they? As long as it didn't have anything to do with professor Cazarezs History of Magic teaching - she was happy.

The silence that followed the ending of the conversation topic made her feel awkward. How much did four almost strangers have to talk about anyway? They couldn't keep this going all night. The awkwardness and tenseness that was settled between the four gave her two decisions to make - she could either be brave and try to break the ice, or she could be a coward and escape off somewhere for most of the night.

Being the brave person she was, she made up her mind and turned to Ami. "Do you know where the bathrooms are? I honestly have no idea where to go and I need someone to show me." This was the sort of brave person she was. Take the option that involved less social interaction and drag a poor girl along with her. Literally.

Grabbing the unlucky girls wrist, she pulled her up off the seat and in the general direction of where she thought the bathrooms were.

Isabella and Ami exit

Interacts with Anatole Evans

Lucy nodded in response to Anatole's question, still trying to catch her breath. The twilight had deepened. A few stars appeared overhead and, despite her recent exertion, Lucy's arms were suddenly covered in goosebumps underneath her sweatshirt as the campground seemed to quiet with the onset of night. She looked at her stuff, still laying in the dirt, and smiled at Anatole. "Well, I guess I had better go to my cabin now. I still haven't found it."

With a happy sigh, she picked up her pillow and bag. "I'm with..." she paused, realising that she didn't have her cabin assignment out and on hand. Who was she with? She knew she didn't have the person as a professor yet, so that didn't help. With a groan, she dropped her belongings on the ground a second time and searched her pockets. Her right hand found it in the front pocket of her jeans. "Uh... Ayers? I guess? In the Augery cabin. So... I guess we'll see each other around, right?" She smiled at the Gryffindor, taking note of the fact that she was deeply content at the moment. Something about him made her just feel peaceful. Plus, now they had made a pinky promise to each other, so there was no way that this camp wasn't going to turn out great!

"Maybe we'll catch up tomorrow!" she said, noting the dark sky again. "I don't want to break curfew on accident so..." she picked up her stuff again and grinned. "See ya later, my dude!" With that cheerful adieu, she waggled a foot at him in a sort of wave since her hands were occupied, and trekked toward what she hoped would be her group of cabins. 

Lucy exits.

INTERACTION!
Lucy O'Sullivan

The fire had begun to die down and the campgrounds had grown quieter and quieter by the minute. More and more had filed back for the night and eventually it just felt like it was the two of them by the fire.

Well, of course, there still had to be a Professor lurking from afar. No way they would let them out this late alone. It was pretty much forbidden.

Lucy's face had returned shinier than he had seen it, since the fire-dance must have gotten her sweaty. A jig of perspiration.

And then for a few fleeting moments, it was silent once more. The boy and the girl watched the embers flicker once again and Anatole could barely keep his laughter in. Her dance had just been that funny.

At her comment, he looked up at her. It was true, it was getting late. Checking around for his assignment, he replied upon finding it. "Yeah, I should probably be going too. I'm with...Cazarez. Unicorn." Unicorn. Saying the word felt slimy and blasphemous. Augurey sounded cooler by far. "Of course we'll see each other. It's camp. They'd have to give us some interaction time."

He got up, brushing off the bottom of his pants which were covered in loose dirt. She had already begun packing up and preparing to depart, which means Anatole was behind. Frantically grasping his things, he watched her go. "Yeah. We'll catch up tomorrow...definitely."

Anatole smiled. She was what he needed right then. "Bye."

Anatole exits.