hello, sunshine (Open)

[Verity Bromley]

Verity had gotten up early that day, which was highly unusual. She was used to sleeping in after spending late nights at the Three Broomsticks, but for some reason she just couldn’t that morning. It might have something to do with the deafening snores she heard coming from her dorm mate’s bed. It was so early that it was still dark outside. She flung the covers off of her bed and slipped into a pair of jeans, a tank, a jacket, and flats before slipping down the stairs, through the Common Room, through the corridors, and out of the castle.

When Verity got out to the lake, the sun was just barely beginning to rise. The air was already surprisingly warm and a bit sticky. It was enough to make her shrug off her jacket and lay it on the edge of the lake. She kicked her shoes off and kept them with her jacket before sitting on the edge and letting her feet dip into the cool water. The sky above her began to show red streaks as the sun peeked out from over the horizon. It rose a lot slower than she thought it would, but what she could see of it was also being reflected in the water from the lake. It was beautiful, stunning, breathtaking. Verity’s unusual purple eyes grew wide in amazement. Maybe waking up so early wasn’t too bad, after all.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Unable to sleep much on her first night back in the castle, Annabelle found herself awake long before the food would begin appearing on the tables in the great hall. She noticed the colors of the pre-dawn sky and decided some fresh air is what she needed to clear her head. not one to fuss over her appearance much, it took only a few moments for her to dress and brush out her hair, then grab a light cloak and head out of the castle.

Without question, she headed for the lake. Perhaps it was all the afternoons she'd spent lounging around it with Markise so long ago, something about it's presence had always seemed to calm her. She watched the colors of the sky brighten and transform as she walked down the path. Just before she reached her usual spot, Annabelle came upon another girl. The sun was just rising above the surrounding landscape and the girl was so focused on it. She didn't want to disturb her, so she tried to casually slip by on the path. She could see the tree marking her destination was just a few yards farther, and debated if it would be weird to stop so close to someone else without acknowledging them.

[Verity Bromley]

That eerie feeling that someone was watching her swept over Verity and sent shivers up her spine. It was far too early for her wandwork to be what it needed to be if she needed to defend herself. She almost didn't even want to turn around to see if anyone was there. If she didn't turn and look, she would see anyone. If she didn't see anyone, she could just be ignorant and pretend that they weren't even there. It didn't take long for that shiver up her spine to turn into goose bumps.

When she heard the soft rustling of a cloak and the soft sound of someone else breathing, Verity finally turned her head sharply to see whoever it was that was there. Her eyes scanned the area behind her, frantically searching for a person, an animal, or even a looming tree that had made her think someone else was there. Her breaths became shallow but her heart rate quickened. Verity longed to be back in the comfort of her bed in her dorm, fast asleep like the rest of the castle. "Who's t-there?" She stuttered, hoping her voice sounded stronger than what she felt. Verity grasped her wand in her hand. If she could fire a few simple spells, it would giver her enough time to get away from the suspected creeper. It was too early for anyone else to be out, so it had to be some kind of savage who was roaming the grounds when the sun was hardly even up. At least, that's what her tired mind lead her to believe.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"So sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your solitude." Anna rushed the words out, recognizing the sound of panic in the girl's voice far too well. She knew she'd have been acting much more skittish if their roles had been reversed. She took a step closer to the girl, away from the boulders and trees that were casting heavy shadows and probably making it difficult for the girl to see her. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up at such an early hour."

[Verity Bromley]

Verity's lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes flickered up and down the girl from the brown hair to the light cloak, sizing her up as she automatically did these days when she came across an unfamiliar person. Verity's shoulders relaxed, as well as those muscles around her face and jaw. Her lips curved upward naturally at the corners as she relaxed and she carefully slid her wand away. There was no telling what kind of damage she would accidentally do just by holding it in her hand when she was as tired as she was.

"Oh no, you weren't intruding at all." Verity said. The Lake was free territory, anyone could go there as they pleased. As much time as she spent there, Verity wouldn't imagine claiming the Lake and the entire area around it as her own. "Would you like to have a seat?" Verity asked. She hadn't been expecting anyone else to be awake either, which was why she was down there by herself. In all truth, Verity hated being alone even if just briefly. She was comfortable in a crowd or at least when she had someone else to talk to. She mostly expected the girl to turn and walk away from Verity's offer. Verity was, after all, a complete stranger to the girl and she probably came off as some kind of paranoid madwoman. She couldn't imagine that the girl had anywhere to be at such a ridiculous hour, but it could happen. Verity was never awake this early and for all she knew thats when all the good stuff happened.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle looked to the spot she'd been heading, and it seemed so lonely in this early morning stillness. Looking back at the girl she shrugged. "Sure, why not." At least she'd put away her wand and seemed friendly enough. She followed a path to the girl and sat cross-legged on a flat rock nearby. She might have followed suit by dipping her feet in the cool water but it didn't seem worth the effort to take off the hiking boots she'd worn to keep off any morning dew.

Anna looked at the girl more closely now and knew she didn't know who she was. Or if she did know her, she'd forgotten in the time that had be gone. It seemed like so much longer then a year. Her previous time at Hogwarts was just a shadow of a memory. She wondered if she should introduce herself, but if she'd known the girl before would she take offense? "I don't think we've met, I'm Annabelle."

[Verity Bromley]

Verity turned her neck back around to face the water in a more comfortable position. The sun had seemingly gone from barely there to fully risen in a matter of moments that Verity had missed. Oh well, maybe she would make a habit of this waking up early thing and come out to see the sunrise more. A sigh escaped from her lips. It wasn’t a burdened sigh or a sad sigh, but simply a way to relieve the sudden need for fresh air to fill her lungs. She could feel the sun begin to beat down on her face, but before it had a chance to warm the air around her, a breeze blew by.

Verity tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to keep it from blowing wildly in the breeze. She studied the girl, Annabelle she had said, for a moment trying to decide if she had ever seen her. She tried to remember if they had any classes together last term, or maybe she had served her in the Three Broomsticks, but Verity had no memory of seeing this girl. It wasn’t much of a surprise because even if she had seen her around, her classes had gotten hectic towards the end of the year when she started and there were a lot of faces that passed through the Three Broomsticks that she wouldn’t possibly be able to remember them all. Verity offered a warm smile when she spoke. “No, I don’t think we have.” She said. “I’m Verity. Are you new here?” She asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. Verity had long forgotten herself as the ‘new girl’ but she knew how it was to be one.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Am I new here? As far as questions went this one was innocent but it still put her on edge a little. Annabelle looked out at the lake, watching the little ripples skate across the surface with the breeze as she chose her answer. She found a few pebbles and started flicking them into the lake to give her something to do with her hands.

"No, I'm not new, I'm a returning student. I, um, didn't go here last year." Anna still hadn't come up with a story to tell people, but that sounded good enough for a stranger. Verity would have no reason to pry into her absence but if she did Anna would have no reason to need to indulge her. As a last minute thought, Anna steered the conversation back onto more comfortable grounds, getting herself out of the spotlight. "So have you gone here long?"

[Verity Bromley]

Verity had to think about her answer for a moment. Her first instinct was to say in the fall because that was usually when she started at a new school, but then she remembered that she was in a completely different continent last fall. Things had moved so fast that specific time tables were a blur. She knew she came to Hogwarts during the second part of the year last year and she could have just said that, but now it was like a puzzle trying to figure exactly when she had come to Hogwarts.

It wasn’t in the spring because there was still snow on the ground when she first stepped off of the train and onto the platform. It had to be in the winter, but it was definitely after Christmas and the New Year. “Last February.” Verity decided, though she couldn’t make out whether or not she had come in the beginning, muddle, or end of the month. “I guess that explains why we’ve never met before!” She said. Verity was a curious person and she wondered why this girl had taken a year off, but then she remembered that it wasn’t any of her business. She was really getting a lot better at controlling her curiosity. Besides, that girl she had met in the kitchens had been away from school on an internship or something so maybe it was a similar situation. “What house and year are you?” Verity asked before she realized she was probably bombarding Annabelle with questions that weren’t really any of her business to begin with. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I was just curious.” She said with a shrug.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle smiled at Verity's comment, relaxing a little knowing that Verity wasn't the pushy type. She was used to the house/year question though. Most of the time it seemed that was more important than a person's name even. It wasn't unusual to hear someone refer to that little first-year Griffindor, or someone similar.

"I'm in Ravenclaw, 7th year, or I will be once fall term starts I suppose. I've never hung around during summer so I don't know, do you go by next terms year?" She asked, confused with the whole summer term bit. She hoped Verity would offer up her own information in the reply. In truth, Annabelle didn't even know if Chase had inrolled her in the classes for the remainder of the summer term or if she was to wait around until fall.

[Verity Bromley]

Verity grinned and her eyes grew wide. “I’m a seventh year, too!” She said excitedly. She hadn’t met too many other seventh years. Well, not properly at least. Of course she had classes with others in her class, but she couldn’t remember most of their names or faces. There were Leo and Jamie, but she knew Celyn and Jory were a year or so younger than she was. “I’m in Slytherin.” She said and waited for that flicker of doubt that passed across most peoples’ faces when she mentioned her house. She wasn’t familiar with the rivalries between the houses, but she wasn’t naïve enough not to notice the tension between some of her classmates simply because of the house they were in.

“From what I’ve heard from other people, I think you’re supposed to go by what year you’ll be when the term starts in the fall.” She said, remembering a few conversations she’s overheard in the Three Broomsticks. She shrugged. Really, she’s heard people name their years either way. Some prefer not to call themselves the year they are in until the first day of the term, while others prefer to leave whichever year they were in before the summer started behind forever and adopt the new year by default. “Well, at least that’s what I do.” She said grinning. She usually didn’t care about what everyone else was doing, anyways.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle hadn't reacted the way most people did when hearing someone was a Slytherin. Sure, she used to respond like that when she first came to Hogwarts, but she'd dated two Slytherins since then. True, she'd had her run-ins with some in that house that felt they needed to live up to the reputation but for the most part they were just people too. She laughed lightly when Verity admitted that was what she did and not necessarily the correct way of switching years. The sound sounded almost foreign to her ears. She loved to laugh but it had been so long since she'd done so on a regular basis.

"I think all the Slytherins I knew have already graduated, or at least they should have. It'll be nice knowing someone in some of my classes." She didn't have a clue who was still around. Unless people had failed to graduate, all of the people she'd attended class with previously would be gone. It was weird to think that she'd be taking classes with the students that had always been a year behind her. Anna frowned at the sudden thought that she was one of those older students that failed to graduate on time.

[Verity Bromley]

Verity’s cheeks flushed. She should have graduated last year. That was the year she was supposed to be graduating, and although it was for the better that she extend her education another year, it often times felt like she had sort of failed. Switching from school to school many times in the middle of the year had taken a toll on her, or more accurately, her grades. Although she had the necessary credits to graduate from certain schools she had been at, it was not enough for Hogwarts. Not to mention she started her year at Hogwarts just in time to begin cramming for N.E.W.T.s and try to keep the Three Broomsticks running. She had kept the business going pretty well, with a few hiccups that were to be expected at the beginning, but her grades had slipped more than she would have liked. At least now she would be in classes with Leo and a few others she knew.

Verity remembered that the guy who was appointed as Deputy Headmaster used to be in Slytherin. It was strange to think that in the beginning of the year, he had been in the same house as her, even the same year, but by the end he was in charge of the entire school. She wondered if Annabelle knew him, maybe he was one of the Slytherins she was referring to. If that were the case, Verity couldn’t imagine how strange it must be for her, but she wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t her place or her business and it really had no affect on her.


She lifted her leg a little so it rose about an inch out of the water. She let the water drop off of her before sticking it back in the water. “I was supposed to graduate last year.” She said finally. She wasn’t sure why she was talking about it. Whenever anyone brought it up, she just kind of nodded and shrugged and changed the subject. “But I went to four different schools last year, including this one, so things got a little confusing for me. The classes I took at one school were completely different from the ones I took at the next one. I guess it was too much to have to catch up each time I switched schools.”

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I don't think it's sunk in completely that I should have graduated with last year's class. I'm sure it will once I'm sharing a dorm room with the Ravenclaws that have always been a year younger, not to mention the classes." Annabelle found Verity interesting, and couldn't believe her luck at running into another student that should have graduated but didn't. She found a flat stone in her pile of pebbles and tossed it sideways, watching it skip....one....two.....three.....four times she counted before it sunk out of sight. Not her best, but she was out of practice.

She felt bad. Verity had shared her story with her, but she had been so closed lipped about her own circumstances. She knew there was probably a back story as to why Verity had been to so many schools that she hadn't divulged, so why couldn't Anna offer the same amount of information? She thought about it for a moment and decided to start sharing the bit of her story that she would be willing to, the parts that she'd stick to from now on. With luck, no one would think to pry into what was obviously personal information. "I didn't attend any school at all last year, so I'm sure I'll be so far behind. Just before term started I had to leave Hogwarts to deal with family issues. I spent the whole year in London, and was just now able to get away to finish up my schooling. I really hope I haven't forgotten it all."

[Verity Bromley]

Verity listened to the story intently, nodding when appropriate. She hadn't been fishing for information, but it did satisfy that pang of curiosity she had. Verity used to use gossip as a means of tying herself in with whatever school she was residing at at the time. She became overly curious and learned things about people whether they wanted her to or not. When she came to Hogwarts, that flame of curiosity had died and she learned not to be such a nosy person. She still read the gossip column that was published in the Daily Prophet and when she was mentioned in it for a brief moment, she soaked up the attention.

"I'm sorry to hear about your family." She said sympathetically. It had been a long time since Verity had to deal with a family emergency. Eventually the small crisis that popped up in her family faded into the next. Her so-called family eventually became so messed up that she stopped dealing with them altogether and in turn avoided family emergencies. She remembered when her mum died that her entire family had gathered. It brought such a strong sense of comfort being around everyone unknowingly for the last time in the same place. It was a silver lining in an awful time.

"I do love London, though." She said bringing a smile to her face once again and hoping to lighten the mood. She had gone distant a moment ago, lost in memories that had no place floating through her mind at that moment. "I think I may have forgotten everything the day after we finished our N.E.W.T.s." She joked. Verity certainly had suffered from a serious case of summer brain, in which even the simplest charms took a lot of effort and didn't end up being outstanding.