Just Realxing (Gary Michael)

[Maryn Livley]

Maryn was in the Gryffindor common room reading by the fire. She could hear the faint crackling and smelled the fragrance of the wood. Maryn glanced around the room at the other Gryffindors. Most of them were outside, but the few that were inside were studying. "Studying, on a beautiful day? Before classes start? Crazy." Maryn thought. But, she then realized she was reading the charms textbook. She wasn't studying, just looking at the new charms she could learn. She wanted to master every one before the year ended. Charms was her favorite subject. "Okay enough of this!" She thought. The common room was stuffy and dim. She would much rather be outside. And with that, she picked up her book and walked briskly outside to relax in the fresh air.

Maryn entered the courtyard. "This is much better!" She thought. The sun was bright on her face and the air smelled clean and fresh. She could see the other students around her talking. She was usually with her friends when she wasn't doing homework, but today she just felt like reading. This was odd because she wasn’t an avid reader.

She found an empty bench and began to read her textbook. Today was just the kind of day she needed. After the train attack, Maryn didn't feel right. She felt less happy than usual, but she decided today she was going to try to forget everything and relax. She wasn't even thinking about the cut on her face she got from the attack. She was just trying to act like herself. Today anyone could knock into her and she wouldn’t flinch. She was that focused in getting herself normal again. She just wanted to live life the way she used to without worrying. This she was determined to accomplish.

[crane]

Gary was returning to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade on foot. It had been great coming back from the magical village to an equally magical school. Gary shook his head in wonder noticing once again that he should go and have his hair cut a bit. Everybody told him that. His sisters, his mother, even Ashley had told him that he should cut his hair! More precisely Ashley Hill had suggested that he should wear his hair in braids or pig-tails which had made Gary decide rather surely that he would go and cut his hair. That was almost 3 weeks ago and Gary was still getting his confidence together to actually go and do it.

Reaching the Hogwarts castle doors Gary decided that he didn’t really want to go inside just yet. It wasn’t fun to sit cooped up in a castle all day. Even when a castle a big and magical couldn’t possible be boring. But Gary figured that he still had the whole winter ahead of him to wonder around the castle and discover some of it’s secrets he hadn’t know before.
Turning Gary made his way towards the Courtyard. He had just came from outside so it would be a bit funny if he’d return there again already. Courtyard would do just nicely. He hadn’t been in the courtyard this year one way or an other so making a quick tour there would be nice.

Pushing the door open Gary slipped to the courtyard and looked around happily. He had been right. There weren’t too many people crowding this place. And obviously the weather here was as good as outside. Maybe even better because there wasn’t wind in the courtyard.
Gary walked around the courtyard a bit as he just pondered. With all the attacks that had been going on recently, he was almost glad that his mother and sisters were safe in the muggle world. Poor girl how had been killed however. Laura Pennington had been her name or at least that’s what Gary thought. Noticing that his shoe-lace had came loose Gary sat onto a bench. “Hello,”and a warm smile was sent over towards the girl as Gary bent over to tie the shoelace of his sneakers that had seen much better days.

[Maryn Livley]

Just then a boy a little older than Maryn sat on her bench to tie his shoe. "Hello." Maryn smiled as she replied. Her mind wanted to be happy as usual, but her heart couldn't take it. She was worried for the world and that she couldn't hide. She could feel her face move from its smile to a sad position. She didn't want the boy to notice so she placed the book closer to her face. Now he couldn't see that she was upset or that she was cut. Maryn thought that the cut on her face showed that she was weak and couldn't stay out of trouble. Maryn didn't want to look weak; that wasn't her. She had spent her whole life trying to prove that she wasn't anything like her parents. She wanted that fact to be known. She thought of them as babied. If they had it their way Maryn would go to a Muggle school far away just to escape the world she lived in. Maryn knew they loved her, but she wished they would show it differently.

Maryn decided to be polite to the boy in spite of her scared feeling. "Nice day today." Was all she could let out. "Sad, sad." Maryn thought to herself. She was disappointed that the only thing she could say was "Nice day today." She knew she should have been able to do better than that. Her determined feeling had completely left her body now and all she could feel was pain. She wasn't in any pain, but she could feel the hurt that others were going through. She hated that people were murdered for no reason whatsoever. It made her feel like the world would never change. She pushed her book closer to her face to avoid the boy from seeing the even worse look on her face. She tried to change it, but it just wouldn't budge. So she just left it the way it was.

[crane]

Gary looked over from tying his shoelace and smiled at the girl. “Yes, it is a nice day. I wouldn’t want to stay cooped up in the castle today. I like autumn. It brings a change. New possibilities, fruits, colours to the nature. It’s so charming in it’s own way don’t you agree?”Gary asked brightly as he finished tying the lace and straightened up.
Leaning back on the bench Gary looked up in the sky and closed his eyes. A light breeze moved his hair while Gary continued:”It’s so amazing. I can’t help but feel autumn in every bone of my body. I feel like a kid walking around with huge eyes trying to gather all these sights into me and never getting full of it.”

Gary turned his head with a smile that shone back in his eyes too visible on his face. The girl was reading a book. Or actually not reading as the book was too close to her face for her to be reading. “It must be an interesting book, to keep you from admiring the scenery,”Gary said seriously as he turned his head to look around once again. He really couldn’t get enough of bright and warm early-autumn days like this was.

((Maryn, could you perhaps not use “ “ when you’re character is thinking? Using them makes reading your posts a bit difficult and confusing to me.))

[Maryn Livley]

The boy responded when Maryn said nice day. "Yes, I like autumn too." Maryn replied. "It's different than the other season. Like you said it brings new colors. The world looks different and unique. Like a piece of art." Maryn liked anything different than the ordinary. Maryn always tried to act unique. She didn't want to be part of the crowd. She didn't want to be like anyone, but herself.The boy continued. "Yes, I usually feel like that to. Except I feel like a two year old. I try to look at things differently. Like I did when I was two."

The boy told her it must be a good book for her not to be enjoying the scenery. Maryn lifted the book from its position letting her cut show. Her hands were tired and she gave up the battle to conceal herself. "Uh, it's ok." She said looking at the cover. "It's the charms textbook. I'm kind of a charms geek." She told him. She let out a little smile. She had always been a charms kind of girl. Her mother was in Ravenclaw and had taught her many forms of magic. Most of them for students in older years. Maryn had always loved to learn knew things from her mother. Even though she knew her mother only taught her to hide the fact she was in Gryffindor. Her parents weren't found of people willing to risk their lives to save others. "Oh, I'm Maryn by the way." Maryn said. If he was going to sit there she thought she might as well introduce herself.

(Sure thing.)

[crane]

Gary smiled at the girls words:”Like you are two? I’m afraid that I don’t remember much of how I though when I was two. So I think I’ll stick to how I felt when I was five.” Gary let laughter escape his mouth as he shifted a little on the bench, placed one of his ankles on the knee of his other leg. “Good old childhood days, don’t you think? I think neither of us is that old to start reminiscing about past just yet.”
”You don’t look like a geek. Do you like Charms that much? I guess I’m alright in them. But I do like Flitwick. It was a shock to see him for the first time and hear him speaking. Actually at that time everything was so shocking I felt numb. I’m a muggleborn,”Gary smiled in front of him thinking back how shocked he and his whole family had been when the owl flew in during breakfast. Firstly everyone tried to catch the owl, thinking how scared the poor bird might be that forced a wild animal to fly into a house. And then came an even bigger shock when the owl dropped off a letter and flew away. The contents of the letter had been the biggest shock by far.

“I like Herbology. And luckily I’m good enough in Potions too. But I think my favorite lessons in Transfiguration. McGonagall still scares me sometimes, but she’s fair,”Gary concluded thoughtfully as he stared off into space. The girl introduced herself and Gary turned a little holding out his hand,”It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Gary. Gary Michael Crane. But please call me either Gary or Crane. Only my grand-mother calls me Michael.”

[Maryn Livley]

Gary replied to Maryn's comment about her acting like she was two. "Oh, I remeber everything from when I was two. I don't remeber much from when I was five." I was true, the most tramatic event in her life happened when she was two. She had always tried toremember everything about that year so she could always see them in her mind. She missed them so much, but she couldn't just bring them back. "Yes, it is odd. We're talking like we are seventy or something." Maryn laughed.

"I am a charms geek. I blame my mother she was in Ravenclaw and prides in teaching my more advanced magic. Nothing major just things she thinks I can do." He said he was a muggle-born. "I guess I'm a pure-blood, but those sorts of things don't matter to me. Some of my best friends are muggle-borns also." Her parents had raised Maryn in the muggle world. When she was young she only had one witch friend and Maryn didn't even know it then. "I'm ok in potions, but not Herbology. I'm not a plant person." Maryn giggled her usual giggle. The boy intrduced himself as Gary. "Nice to meet you. I know what you mean my grand-mother used to call me Mary and that isn't even my name." Maryn stopped as the words were let out of her mouth.

Maryn just sat there. She hadn't talked about her grand- parents in ages. It was too hard for her. As she sat their memories flashed in her mind. She couldn't take it anymore. She was no longer upset about the dead Hufflepuff. She was now upset about something much more painful. "I have to go." Maryn said. She reached for her book and quickly left the Courtyard. She felt bad that she had to leave like that, but now she needed to be alone. She ran up to the Gryffindor Common room and sat in a chair with tears in her eyes. She quickly realized she was in public and left for her dorm.

(Sorry I had to end it. I'm trying to get something across to everyone about Maryn. It was fun though .)