Cold Hearted (open)

[Nova Shover]

Nova wanted to get in the water. The problem was that the water was much colder than any water she had ever been in this late in the year. It also didn't make waves fit for surfing, which was truly a shame. She had managed to go months without getting into trouble, but if she couldn't find some kind of outlet soon she couldn't guarantee that things would stay that way.

So the warm air had drawn her out of the cold castle walls. Was it really too much to hope for that the water would be warm enough for her to wash her troubles away? She just wanted to do something. Perhaps her lack of male company was part of her anxious fidgeting, but at least she was resisting temptation. She chewed roughly on her lip as she stood at the edge of the lake, water lapping teasingly inches from her toes.

[Verity Bromley]

Finals were just around the corner, but since they weren't tomorrow, Verity wasn't really worried about studying for them. As much as she loved having three months where she didn't have to worry about schoolwork or going to class, Verity hated how lonely summers were. She refused to go home. It's been over a year since she had any contact with her father and for all she knew, he forgot she even existed. She didn't mind it that way. The less she had to deal with that awful man, the better.

With nothing better to do, Verity walked down to the Lake. It was one of her favorite spots on Hogwarts grounds and she figured she'd get enough thinking down there to be able to actually concentrate on studying later. Verity wasn't surprised that she wasn't to only one hanging around the Lake. It was a nice day, even if it wasn't summer-hot yet. Verity noticed another girl at the edge of the Lake. She thought it was curious that the girl was dipping her toes into the water and not jumping in. "It won't get any warmer by staring at it, you know." The way she saw it, the girl could jump in or not. There was no use in messing around. Sure, it was probably cold, but hey! You only live once.

[Nova Shover]

"I grew up near the Atlantic in the states, then moved to California, I don't get this whole cold water thing," Nova said. "By this time it's supposed to be at least warm enough to try getting into." It was only once she was finished speaking that she looked over at the girl. She hadn't spoken to many of the girls at all in the school, but she vaguely recognized this one. Perhaps she was in the same house.

[Verity Bromley]

Verity shrugged. She had only been to California once and it was in the middle of July. She had no idea what the water was supposed to be like around there at this time of year, but she would take the girl's word for it. "That must be nice." She said. "It's not usually warm enough for a swim at this time around here. If you're lucky, you won't have to wait more than a few weeks for that." Verity slipped her sandals off and dipped her toes in the water. It was chilly, but not freezing. "My name's Verity. I think I've seen you around." Verity said, inviting herself to sit down near the girl and dangle her legs in the water.

[Nova Shover]

"I'm Nova," Nova said, eyeing the ground as though it would also be too cold to touch, even though her bare feet told her differently. "Sixth year Slytherin." She seemed to be typecast into the so-called worst house. "Do a lot of students stay for the summer? I know there's no way in hell I'm going home." That just had bad idea written all over it.

[Verity Bromley]

"What a beautiful name." Verity said. She loved interesting names like that. "It means star, right?" She had been forced to study Latin growing up and while most of it was lost now, she still remembered a handful of things. Verity kicked her legs in the water to create a few small waves. The water was chilly, but it felt good as the sun beat down on her back. "I'm a seventh year Slytherin and some people do." Verity said. That explained why the girl looked vaguely familiar. Of course, all the girls looked the same after a while. "I usually stay over the summer, but I also run the Three Broomsticks so I spend most of the summer there. They had a festival one year and a lot of people stuck around for that." Verity grinned, remembering the endless summer nights she spent at the festival. "There's no way in hell I'm going home either." Verity said with a smile. She liked this girl so far.

[Nova Shover]

"It would be expensive to go home, not that I've even been there since I moved out to change schools in the first place," Nova said. She sighed and settled down by Verity, though she didn't brave the water with her toes. "The Broomsticks place is in Hogsmeade, right? I haven't made it down there." Not that she had the money to do anything there if she went.

[Verity Bromley]

Verity nodded. She squinted her eyes to try to keep the sun from seeming so bright. "Yes, it's kind of like a pub. If you're ever down there you should stop in!" Verity looked the girl over. She loved it when people stopped in to say hi while she was working. It made the long hours a little more enjoyable. She could have sworn that she had a class with Nova last year, but then again everyone sort of started to look alike after a while. "Are you new to Hogwarts?" She asked curiously.

[Nova Shover]

"Relatively," Nova said. "I just started this term. It's not too bad. My old school was cool, I guess, but...I needed to move." She needed another new start to clear her head and her history. So far, she had done perfectly. She hadn't slept with anyone, she hadn't gotten into any fights, and she had been turning in wonderful work. "You?"

[Verity Bromley]

"I've been here for a couple of years now," Verity said. She loved Hogwarts and while the beginning of her schooling wasn't exactly the best years of her life, but it led her to Hogwarts and that's all she cared about. "I love it here, though. It really feels like home." It was more of a home than anything else she had and while she had made some bad decisions, there were a lot of good times. She was proud of her grades, her business, and she tried to not let what others say about her really get to her.

[Nova Shover]

"Yeah?" Nova wasn't sure if the place felt like home yet. She wasn't even sure what home was supposed to feel like. Wasn't it supposed to be like, motherly and protective and sh~? Her nose wrinkled. Her home hadn't really felt like anything positive worth noting. She had been glad to get out of the place.

[Verity Bromley]

Verity wasn't sure what made Hogwarts different from all of the places she lived. There were good times and bad times. She had some good friends, and she had some enemies. There were times when she felt trapped, but mostly she loved being there. Maybe it all had something to do with the fact that she stayed at Hogwarts for the longest amount of time compared to all of her other schools. Maybe it only felt like home by default. Whatever it was, it was a good feeling. She felt like she belonged there and that wasn't something she had at any of the other schools she visited briefly. "Yeah." Verity confirmed. Enough about that. "So what brings you to the Lake today?" She asked, attempting to keep the conversation alive. She hated awkward pauses.

[Nova Shover]

"I was hoping to get in. I'm really into water, I love swimming. I learned how to surf from this guy at my first school," Nova said. She loved surfing so much. She would spend hours doing it whenever she had the chance, then go home, exhausted, and fall into bed to sleep the best sleep she ever had. "You?"

[Verity Bromley]

"Ahhh." Verity said. She had never learned to surf. She'd rather lay out in a bikini than crash into the ocean in one of those disgusting suits. Besides, it looked painful getting thrown off your board and into a bed of rocks. She tried to avoid things that could potentially damage her face. Verity shrugged. "I got sick of being in my room." She said. "I like it down here, it's relaxing." She didn't admit that the reason she hung around the lake so much was to catch a glimpse of a shirts vs. skins game on the grass nearby. It looked like there was no hope of seeing one today, anyways.

[Nova Shover]

((Moving is not conductive to posting >.>))

"Yeah, I can't normally stand people in general, and girls get so damn catty it makes me want to rip out my hair," Nova said. "At least this place has an outside, you know? I heard some schools are just in the middle of cities or something." That would drive her even crazier than the girls in her dorm. She glanced off toward the so-called forbidden forest, wondering just how forbidden it was.