|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 12, 2004 13:07:50 GMT
"No, no," said Laura quickly, pulling out of his grasp as quickly as if she had been burned. Realising her action could have been taken offensively, she made a quick gesture of apology, tugging on his sleeve.
"I'll be absolutely fine after a bit of rest," she said quickly, beginning to walk towards the entrance of the library, a firm hold of his sleeve to make sure he would follow her. She wasn't quite sure the reason behind her rush to get out of the library, but she didn't want anyone else seeing her in that state.
"I'll just go back up to Gryffindor Commonroom, and a few hours sleep should cure me up well. I haven't had a break in a fair while, and I suppose I've been pushing myself, but I'll have it under control," she mumbled, almost surprised at herself for her reluctance to seek assistance; but then again, she had never liked appearing weak.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 14, 2004 3:56:32 GMT
"Whoa... no, you don't."
Branden grabbed Laura's hand from his sleeve and pulled her to a halt. He locked his brown eyes with her bright green ones, now slighlty clouded over. "You're ill," he said softly. "You need to see the nurse."
He held her hand firmly and began gently guiding her out of the door. "We're going to the hospital wing. Understand?"
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 18, 2004 5:29:59 GMT
"No." replied Laura, almost a little too firmly. She had never been one to listen to orders, and this, in some cases had been her downfall. Indeed, it was the very reason that she had be ostracised by her entire family, save Cara, and left home in fear of her very life.
She pulled away from his grasp, and set a distance of a few feet between them, turning to glare at him, almost accusatively.
"I don't need to go to the hospital wing; the nurses will make a fuss over nothing and it would be really inconvenient in terms of what I'm hoping to get done in the next few days. I'm incredibly busy as it is," she informed him, hoping to put him off by her discourteous and patronizing manner.
A pity really, she thought to herself, somewhat regretfully. He might have turned out to be a good friend. But you promised yourself, Laura. You promised yourself that no-one would stand between you and your goals. You swore that you would keep your distance in every relationship, lest you get burned once again...
And once again, her resolve was harder than diamond; no-one was going to tell her what to do.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 18, 2004 6:52:51 GMT
Branden backed off, holding his hands up in front of him in a gesture that was defensive, placating and apologetic all at once. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered.
Damn... Now he'd upset her, the last thing he'd wanted to do. Nice going, Branden...
He stood there for a moment, his eyes darting across her face, her fierce, defiant expressin. Finally he mumbled another apology, turned and virtually ran down the hall, cursing himself on the way. He should've known she wasn't the sort of girl you could force to do anything... but he'd tried, anyway. And now he'd lost someone who could've been a friend.
Damn.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 18, 2004 7:19:52 GMT
Without a second thought, Laura sprinted down the corridor and caught up with him in moments. Finally, all her Quidditch training had paid off for something useful, she thought grimly, as she grabbed a hold of his sleeve once again, and forced him to turn around and look at her, offering him a small, apologetic smile.
"Don't worry about it mate. And I'm sorry," she told him, her words sincere. "Nothing against you, I'm just not really into getting help for small things. I don't want people to get the impression, you know, that I'm like, weak or anything," she admitted, her words slightly disjointed.
She rarely liked to admit things like these, feeling that it gave people an unfair advantage in conversation. She had never been able to be truly close to the majority of her friends, as a result of her childhood.
Her parents had never shown her much affection or warmth, and trying to make bonds of friendship had been totally alien to Laura when she had arrived at the school six years previous.
However, she was determined not to let people see her underdeveloped ability to naturally become close to people, she had developed a cutting sense of satirical charm, and her ironic outlook on life had always kept her associates entertained.
Regrettably however, beneath this charisma and the smiling face Laura had always presented to the world, she had never fully managed to develop the ability for deep camaraderie, and when the closest person to her in her life had been torn from her, Laura's mask of charm had shattered, leaving her with nothing more than mordant bitterness.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 18, 2004 12:10:29 GMT
Instantly worried when he felt a hand grab his arm and spin him around, Branden cringed instinctively, but immediately realized Laura wasn't here to hurt him. A warm smile slowly spread across his face as he realized how hard this must be for her to say.
"That's okay," he said, watching her eyes and smiling gently. "I understand, a little... I didn't mean to offend, and I'm sorry." He grinned, glad to know he had a friend. He glanced up an down the girl, seemingly struck with an idea. He noticed the way she was breathing evenly after having just sprinted up the hall. "You can run... I wonder."
Branden looked thoughtful for a moment, and then grinned, his eyes sparking. "I know you play Quidditch... but there was a Muggle activity I used to do at my old school. Not exactly a sport," he explained, his voice animated. "More of an athletic competition..."
He regarded the girl. She didn't seem any worse for her little turn in the Library, and she might be some good competition. He grinned broadly - he'd been lacking a challenge for a while. He leaned a little closer, his voice low but eager.
"Are you any good at high jump?"
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 18, 2004 12:25:10 GMT
Laura laughed, shaking her head at this crazy idea. "What, you mean jump as high as you can, without magic? What a nonsensical idea..."
She arched a brow, folding her arms over her chest while looking up at the other boy with mild incredulity. "How are you supposed to measure it anyway? Do you, I don't know, jump over something?"
She lapsed into a fit of mirth, the whole idea of it seeming quite amusing. Refusing to point out that this kind of behaviour ran the risk of making you look pretty stupid, she schooled her face into that of polite interest.
"Tell me about this form of athletics," she prompted, her mouth working hard. She wasn't quite sure what she found so amusing, because really, it wasn't that funny, but perhaps it was because she felt that she had just let a whole load off her chest, and she was still feeling quite light-headed.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 18, 2004 12:36:28 GMT
Branden's eyes widened slightly at Laura's ignorance and apparent mirth at his suggestion. "Well... looks like you have no idea," he said, grinning. This could make it even more fun.
"Well," he began, placing an arm casually over Laura's shoulders and beginning to walk down the hall. "There's a bar, placed as a crosspiece on two stands at a certain height. We can start low as it's your first time..." He grinned as he said it, his eyes twinkling. This would be fun. "You have to run up to the bar and jump over it without knocking it down. There's two different styles that are generally accepted - the Frosby Flop, and the scissor. I'll demonstrate when we get outside..."
Branden stopped in his tracks. It had completely slipped his mind. He turned to Laura, dropping his arm and blushing slightly, clearing his throat nevously. "Um... you wouldn't happen to know somewhere we could go, would you? Just a decent-sized, clear patch of grass..." He watched her hopefully.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Aug 28, 2004 11:09:33 GMT
Laura eyed him with great suspicion for a moment of two, then shrugged, amusement still written all over her face.
"Sounds like an utterly ridiculous sport, as you could enchant yourself to jump straight over the damn bar, but if you insist..." She let out a dramatic sigh, and gestured towards the door at the end of the corridor.
"Follow me," she instructed, her tone that of pompous superiority, as she gave him a mocking half-bow, then, walking quickly, lead him down the stone steps of the entrance hall and out of the great front doors.
After a few minutes of brisk walking and little talk, the pair arrived at the Quidditch pitch, which lay bare before them, the grass slightly sodden. "Here's your little patch of grass..." she pointed towards the field, just in case he'd missed the football sized stadium right before his eyes,
"Now, amaze me."
|
|