A Little Late for Friends?

[Lieselotte Westenburg]

It was with great shock that Liesel found herself already in her last year at Hogwarts. How did that happen? It certainly didn't feel as if six years had passed. It most certainly didn't feel like she was supposed to debut soon. Although she didn't quite know what she was doing, she was still relieved that she'd chosen to continue on at Hogwarts instead of joining that horrid Pendergast school... she was certain she would have been bored to tears, even if they did encourage her to continue with her artistic pursuits.
She loved Hogwarts... she just wasn't sure about her place in it. It also dawned on her that she'd been moving through the first month back a little bit shyly, for she'd realized that she'd drifted away from a lot of the friendships she'd developed in her first few years there. Had it been because her brother was at school with her before? Though he was in a completely different house, so that wasn't much of an excuse.

Determined not to leave her final year a solitary and depressing one, she marched down to the common room to socialize, dammit.

But once she got down there, she became a little shy again and skirted around the sofas, eyeing people's homework over their shoulders before someone turned around and gave her a look and flustered, she said quickly, "I wasn't trying to cheat!" Though she wasn't even sure that's what they thought she was doing. Perhaps there hadn't even been a look in the first place.

  

[Maxine Wood]

Maxine, of course, hadn't actually been doing homework. Homework was boring, it really was. She'd been trying to but had started doodling oddball images on her parchment instead. Definitely not an artist, she wasn't even entirely what it was she had doodled when she felt as though someone were looking over her shoulder. With her brow furrowed she turned to look at whoever it was looking over her shoulder.

"Good thin'," she said with a smirk though rolled her eyes. Just like an upper to get all defensive when there was nothing to get defensive about. "Ye'd surely be gettin' poor marks if ye were," she finished, blue eyes looking the girl over as she idly rolled up her parchment. "Though, lookin' over one's shoulder ain't in yer best interest either," she added. That surely wouldn't make a person any friends.

Couldn't resist since Declan's all googy eyed over her!

The following 2 users Like Maxine Wood's post:2 users Like Maxine Wood's post
   Barnabas Skeeter, Castor Allaway

[Lieselotte Westenburg]

Her face positively glowed with her embarrassement, and she was so annoyed at herself for jumping to conclusions. The younger girl seemed not impressed with her at all. Liesel stood there awkwardly in the spotlight for a moment, not even daring to move as if doing so would somehow unleash the fury of this small ginger girl (who was actually taller than her but she hadn't noticed yet). She'd seen the girl before, of course, but she couldn't place a name to the face.

"Sorry," she said quickly, her anguish obvious in her voice as she stepped closer to the other girl. "I was curious. You were drawing actually," because it just dawned on her that it wasn't homework at all. "I draw... too..." she trailed off, her eyes owlish as she desperately told herself to shut up and stop being so awkward.

The following 1 user Likes Lieselotte Westenburg's post:1 user Likes Lieselotte Westenburg's post
   Barnabas Skeeter

[Maxine Wood]

Max's brow remained raised as the girl apologized yet still came around closer to where Max was. A glutton for punishment if she ever saw one. But, of course, Max was never one to turn away the chance of a bit of fun. Especially if it was at someone else's expense and this girl looked to be a weak target.

"I'd hardly call it drawing," she scoffed. She was well aware that what she had done were merely scribbles and she planned on saying just that. "They're scribbles and that's about it," she started, eyeing the girl the entire time, "Perhaps you ought to get yer eyes checked."

  

[Lieselotte Westenburg]

Liesel took a step back as if slapped, the hesitant smile she'd plastered on her face slipped away. She had her hands up at her neck, tugging awkwardly and distractedly at her collar, but now they fell to her sides. A flush was working its way up her neck, but it was more to do with anger now, and she felt a little winded.

"You're rude," she said under her breath. "I can see just fine, thank you. I was merely-" she stopped herself speaking further. She was merely... what? Trying to make conversation. But she had now decided she didn't want to make conversation with this girl. "No need to be so rude to me."

  

[Maxine Wood]

It took everything Max had not to burst out laughing at the sudden drop in the other girl's face. She did, however, smirk after the girl muttered about her being rude. She clapped her hands together lightly in mock applause.

"Well lookie here! You've got brains at least," she said in a mocking tone, "You do realize you were the one being rude first though, right?" Max did have a point even though she was the one being far more rude.

  

[Castor Allaway]

Broom slung over his shoulder, Castor made his way slowly along the corridor back to the common room. His bit of solo practice had started out well enough, but had ended with an unusually rough landing that made his knee blaze in protest if he placed too much weight upon it. He would drop off his possessions, the captain decided, and then retreat to the prefects’ bath for a nice, long, marathon of a soak and then be right as rain.

The common room was not empty, but still by no means full when Castor arrived, stepping through the portrait of the Fat Lady to hear only quiet chatter, save for Miss Wood’s unmistakable dialect.

“I hope there isn’t a problem, Miss Westenburg, Miss Wood,” the Head Boy stated as he approached the two witches, surprised indeed to see them sharing one another’s company. Between the difference in status, the difference in year, and his yearmate’s tendency to keep to herself, Castor would not have expected to find the two of them together.

  

[Lieselotte Westenburg]

Well, this certainly wasn't going very well at all.

Her face was burning with embarrassment and indignation. Never in her life had someone spoken so rudely to her -- except maybe her brother but that hardly counted -- and she didn't know how to handle it. She clearly wasn't handling it very well now. She was already dreading the fact she'd probably look back on his moment for the rest of her life and feel her ears burn in memory.

She was beyond relieved when Mr. Allaway entered the common room. In fact, she let out a small sigh of relief as she turned her distressed gaze on him. The expression was unintentional, but she was hoping he'd do something.
She wasn't, however, a snitch.

Please understand the situation, she thought fiercely, hoping through some sort of psychic link he might understand that she was in desperate need of saving.

Only... only it just occurred to her that he'd stated the girls last name.

"Miss Wood?" She turned to look at the other girl again, surprise all over her face.

  

[Maxine Wood]

Max couldn't help but to roll her eyes when Mr. Allaway approached. Just what she needed, Gryffindor's own Head Boy. She knew he'd take the other girl's side in an instant if it came down to it. Max had too much of a reputation of being a troublemaker for any of the prefect types to look kindly upon her. Not that she really cared.

"Yes. Miss Wood," she said, an exasperated tone to her voice, "Maxine Wood. Though my friends just call me Max." There was an added emphasis on the word friends, however, a clear indication in her mind that this Miss Westenburg was most definitely not a friend.