Skimming the waves ((Alexandra))

[gaenor]

It was said sometimes that silence was golden. Gaenor knew that it wasn’t. Silence was just awkward. And he figured that his father was also feeling as awkward as Gaenor himself was. It was weird. He looked rather similar to his father, they were even the same height. They owned identical genes and the same blood flowed through their veins. Yet they didn’t have anything to say to each other so they walked side by side from Hogsmeade towards Hogwarts after the lunch they had had together with grand-father on the old man’s demand. Gaenor wondered why his father had even offered to walk him back to school. It wasn’t as if Gaenor would get lost nor that he would need anything from his father. He had gone over the age where he needed a hug or an advising word from his father a long time ago. And even if he needed someone to tell him what he should do – his father knew just as well as Gaenor did that Gaenor would first go to his grand-father. So the silence stretched as Gaenor was preoccupied trying to figure out what his father wanted and his father seemed to be thinking about something as well. The road from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade had never before seemed so long as it did today. Nor had it been so awkward so Gaenor felt almost happy when the school came into view behind the curve of the road.

Gaenor stopped and twisted a knut in his pocket with his fingers as he looked at the school sensing that his father stopped walking as well. “How are you doing in school?” his father finally broke the silence and Gaenor moved one of his shoulders in a sort of a shrug: “Fine.” After that the two stood in silence once again. “I better get going then. I’m going to Japan tomorrow so,” his father said with him shrugging this time, “Take care, son.” Gaenor nodded and looked at his father for a moment: “I will. Have a nice trip.” Gaenor almost added his fathers name to the end of those words. Yet that would be insulting after he had called Gaenor son. Yet calling him father didn’t quite seem to fit anymore either. Over the years his father had been traveling around while taking care of the family business the two had grown apart from each other. They were almost strangers by now. His father seemed about ready to say something more before closing his mouth abruptly. Gaenor watched rather emotionlessly how his father walked away his head bent a little in thought and his hands pushed into his pockets. He still didn’t understand what his father had wanted, but he was leaving again tomorrow so it obviously didn’t even matter much.

Gaenor turned back towards Hogwarts school and continued walking towards it, changing his mind about going in on almost at the last moment. While the weather today couldn’t be called nice with the sharp gusts of wind and a bit chilly weather as the sun was blocked by clouds, but it wasn’t raining so it was tolerable. Changing his direction Gaenor went to the lake instead and slowly started to walk by it’s edge. Noticing a flat stone on the path before his feet Gaenor picked it up and with a flick of his wrist sent it skimming the small waves covering the lake today. The stone bounced back from the water only twice which made Gaenor frown a little bit. He was usually better at skipping stones. Scouting one more suitable rock up ahead Gaenor walked to it and picked it up. Weighing the stone in his hand for a few moments Gaenor stopped and turned to face the lake preparing himself for the throw.

[alexandra]

The day had been just like any other day. It was a calm Friday and classes had been boring, as usual. It was almost O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, so almost every single student was engrossed in a book or homework assignment pretty much everywhere Alexandra went. She had gone to her morning classes and, it being a Friday, had no afternoon classes. She wasn't very hungry at Lunch, so she said a quick hello to Pyro, grabbed a biscuit or two and decided to take a walk. Pyro understood... he always did.

Munching on her biscuits, Alexandra walked from the Great Hall, wondering where to go. Her mind was almost asleep with boredom from the unusually usual day. She found herself wandering wherever her feet decided to go. She walked through the corridors, bumping into younger students here and there. Somehow, she found herself outside. Now her emotions were a mixture of boredom and confusion. How did she get out here? With a shrug, Alexandra walked around the side of the school and over to her favorite tree beside the lake. It was cold for the time of year. Gray skies, brisk winds, and a smell of rain on the air.

She walked toward the tree, finishing her second biscuit. The leaves were a deep green, healthy and strong. The wind seemed to beat at the tree, but it didn't seem to care. The leaves moved with the wind, swaying and flapping around, but no leaves fell. It was too healthy in the late spring air. Alexandra looked up at the tree with a strange respect. It was odd... she had never had this unreasonable respect for anything other than her fellow students and now... nature? It was different. Maybe she was just bored and making strange observations...

She shrugged mentally and sat down, bringing her legs up to her chest and laying her head on her knees. Her eyes closed and she sat there, comfortable in her own little world. She sat there for God-Knows how long. Time seemed to pass by within seconds. She looked up as the sound of footprints came nearer. The owner of the footprints was an older boy, obviously a Slytherin. He didn't notice her there as he began skipping rocks. She remained quiet, sitting there, her hands wrapped around her legs. She then smiled a bit, wondering if he would even notice her there...

[gaenor]

Gaenor had learned to skim stones when he was just a little boy. The grounds and gardens of his home were vast and so open-air meals were a regular occasion as both his nanny and grand-father enjoyed fresh air and nature. Gaenor had been taught to appreciate it just as well. So as a kid he had waded through the spring flowing through their grounds and learned to swim in the lake half-way in the grounds at the age of 5. Skimming stones had been a talent picked up almost absent-mindedly when Geanor wanted to stretch himself a little after having finished his meal or a course of the meal. Getting only two skips of the stones was a miserably pathetic result and Gaenor would not let himself be satisfied with it. Turning the road in his hand Gaenor concentrated on the moment weight in the stone in his hand before sending it flying with a sharp flick of his wrist that would have done honour to any golf-player. And this throw was successful. One, two, three, four, five and six skims of the water before the stone sunk below the water when it hit the water-surface for the seventh time. This was acceptable already. It wasn’t anywhere near Gaenor’s personal record which was 12 skims, but it was good.

Gaenor looked at his palm absent-mindedly sweeping both of his hands clean of any dirt that might have gotten on his palm as he turned halfway and walked a couple of steps further around the lake noticing small movement out of the corner of his eyes. Turning his head briefly sideways Gaenor took in the figure of the girl for amoment, noticing that she was younger than Gaenor. Which wasn’t shocking at all because most of the students in school were younger than him, as Gaenor was already a 7th year. The girl didn’t seem familiar to Gaenor at all however as he simply looked at her for a moment before calmly turning back to the lake after picking up one more stone. “As interesting person as I am to observe, I don’t really appreciate people stalkingly observing me in secret,” Gaenor said loud enough for his voice to carry over to the girl before sending the stone away with a flick of his wrist once again. Skimmed the water 7 times this time going underwater when it touched the water-surface the 8th time.

[alexandra]

Alexandra was amused, watching the boy as he sent the stones across the surface of the lake. She could see on his face whether or not he approved or not of the amount of skipping taking place. He seemed "OK" with six or seven skips, but there was a few where the stone only bounced a few times. He almost shook his head whenever this happened. Alexandra was rather enjoying herself. Ever since Aubree moved to Germany and left Alexandra without a home, yet again, Alexandra had almost gotten used to being in the middle of rumors. She was so used to being the outsider, the one who always looked but didn't speak. It was something new to realize people did notice her. It was also shocking that people wouldn't acknowledge her, not one bit.

So as she sat there, calmly watching the boy skip stones, she reveled in the fact that he seemed to either ignore her or simply didn't see her. Without warning, he turned sideways a bit and looked over at her. He didn't seem to care as their eyes met for a quick moment. Alexandra was a bit startled at that. Usually people get offended. She felt a bit embarrassed to be staring. Almost to the point of getting up and kindly disappearing, as she usually did. She started to rise and then the boy spoke. She froze as his words registered in her mind. Was he teasing? She couldn't be sure...

"Um..." She hesitated. What would she say to something like that? "I... I'm not a stalker... I don't even know who you are." She shook her head. Why did that sound so rude? "Uh... well... I was just sitting here and..." She gave up at the attempt to redeem herself and just sighed. It was useless anyway. "I didn't mean to stare," she bit her lip and stood, brushing off her pants, wondering if she should just leave.

[gaenor]

Gaenor sent one more stone flying through the air and then skimming the waves as he listened to the words of the younger girl. He seemed so hesitant that Gaenor wondered if she was part of the unworthy club in Hogwarts as some students called the other houses besides Slytherin. Was this girl part of that club? If she was then she should consider herself lucky that Gaenor was a patient guy and that she remembered her manners. Especially as she seemed to be so tongue-tied that the only things that did come out of her mouth were either rambling and quite idiotic sounds or polite apologies. “Gaenor Maydell,” Gaenor answered after a bit of a pause to the girl’s hesitant question as he turned around and watched the girl brush herself off. Gaenor’s eyes glided over the branch stuck on the side of her pant’s leg that she was missing but he didn’t comment. Not now anyway. Not yet, not before he knew who the girl was because right now Gaenor didn’t have the slightest clue about it.

“And was that a hidden insult to say that I’m not good enough to be admired and not stalked?” Gaenor asked with an amused grin twitching his lips for a moment as he looked rather calmly at the girl. Not coldly, not warmly, just calmly as you look to a complete stranger and your mind was occupied elsewhere while you were making small-talk to be polite before moving on, “And to finish the polite introduction – who are you? And I wasn’t really disturbed by the staring.” Gaenor absent-mindedly smoothed out a crease from his pants before it could become imprinted to the fabric for any longer as he calmly stood and waited for the girl to reply before Gaenor would decide whether he would stay or whether he would turn around and walk away.

[alexandra]

Alexandra was about to walk away when the boy suddenly introduced himself. She turned to look at him, her eyebrow raised. She didn't even want to know his name. She turned fully and looked at the boy, who seemed amused by her stuttering. She felt a bit defensive at that. She usually didn't do that, ramble or make a fool of herself like she did and that embarrassed her a bit, making her a bit testy. She glared slightly at the amusement in his eyes. She did remain calm, however, putting on her best Slytherin face. She wanted to roll her eyes when he asked if he wasn't good enough to be watched or stalked. She didn't say anything. That's what she was good at, not talking. She leaned her back against the tree, staring with dark, unblinking eyes.

Her eyebrow rose once more when he said this was a "polite" introduction. Who said it was an introduction? She looked off across the lake, pondering whether or not she should tell him her name. She was an outcast, yet widely known for her family name. Ricci was one of the most respected Russian Wizard families and she had shamed them by running away. She was an outcast with her family and an outcast to her fellow students. She sighed. What was the use of keeping quiet? Why not just tell him her name? She fixed him with her blank stare once more as he brushed off his pants.

"Alexandra," she said quietly and the added, almost a whisper, "Ricci..."

Inside, her mind cursed. She hated that name and everything that went with it. She wished she could have been born in another family... To never have known those horrible people that have hated her her whole life. She continued to stare at Gaenor, her eyes almost bored looking.