To Fall or To Fly ((Lori, August & Belle))

[Theo Darke]

Theo grabbed his thick black coat from off his bed, threw it on and buttoned it up over his many layers of clothing. A navy scarf was tied on next, followed by a pair of midnight blue gloves. Finally, Theo picked up his black leather cap, snuggling it over his short blonde hair. Brushing down the dust on his coat, Theo exited the empty dormitory to meet Lori in the Common Room. “Hey.” He smiled warmly when he caught sight of her familiar figure. She too was all wrapped up for the Quidditch match, ready to brave the chilly cold that signalled the arrival, or rather, the imminent arrival, of winter. “Shall we?” Theo grinned, gesturing at the portrait hole for a door and letting Lori pass through politely. The two made their way through the corridors at a brisk pace, knowing the stands would soon be filled with many students. As he and Lori chatted Theo learned that Flo would be making her own way to the Grounds with her friends. He was somewhat apprehensive about attending the match; Theo always went to the Quidditch games even though he didn’t enjoy participating. However, it was extremely cold outside, and the thought of being jostled around like a rag doll in the midst of noisy crowds of rabid Quidditch fans did not appeal to him in the slightest.

However, this time Theo had more than his usual reason to watch the match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, even though his own house team weren’t actually participating. This reason came in the form of Scott Ryder. Theo had recently started to become friends with Scott, a Gryffindor in his year, and the other day had gotten word that Scott would be playing Seeker for his team. Theo was thrilled for him, and wished to cheer him on even though Gryffindor wasn’t the side he normally supported. Had Scott not been the one to cause Theo’s emotions to conflict in favour towards Gryffindor, he would’ve likely been impartial to the match’s outcome. Theo knew the result would rest a lot on Scott’s shoulders, so he wished him all the luck in the world, and hoped he would be able to hold up to the Hufflepuff Seeker, Charles Driscoll, a fellow prefect of Theo’s from sixth year. Charles was a decent guy, albeit quiet, so much so Theo had not really spoken to him, but Scott was Theo’s friend, and as fair as Theo wanted to be… his loyalty to Scott won out. However, the thought of having to cheer Gryffindor on for Scott and his own team when Ravenclaw came to face the reds was a daunting prospect.

Theo and Lori hurried into the Grounds, their warm breaths evaporating into the icy air. Rubbing his gloved hands together, the pair ascended the steps to the stands and chose their positions, which were relatively near the front. Theo had learnt from experience never to sit too close to the edge; you never knew if a Bludger or the Snitch may accelerate towards you, causing a mass of Quidditch players to descend on the crowd and make them scream and disperse in fright and panic. Once, a Chaser had accidentally hit an innocent bystander in the face when in passing, and Theo had been wary ever since he had witnessed this accident. He had never been one to take risks. Seated comfortably, Theo took Lori’s hands in his own to warm them up, seeing the recognisable look on her face; he knew she wasn’t keen on the cold. The pair waited for the match to begin as more people began to file into the Ravenclaw stand area; Flo arrived with a bunch of excited first year girl friends, eager to witness their first ever Quidditch match up-close. Theo smiled and waved at the younger version of Lori, and Flo returned it with a toothy smile.

Soon the stadium was filled with loud cheering on all sides; the continuous chants of “Hufflepuff!” and “Gryffindor” echoed around the currently unoccupied pitch. Theo smiled to himself and rested back in his seat to enjoy the match. Admittedly he was still really cold, but he would survive. He was sure once the game began he would be too engrossed in its process to care or even think about the condition of his fingers and toes… and nose. Rubbing his extremely cold nose, Theo was glad when Madam Hooch arrived on the pitch with the fourteen players, dressed in glaringly bright red and yellow. Theo’s keen eyes immediately began scanning for a familiar brunette boy, and finally rested in triumph on Scott Ryder, dressed in his Quidditch kit and holding his broom. Theo doubted he’d be able to get Scott’s attention from his faraway position, but borrowed Lori’s binoculars to catch a large glimpse of him. Seeing his face through the magical instrument, Theo smiled to himself. “There’s Scott,” He spoke enthusiastically as he handed the binoculars back to Lori, pointing at Scott’s figure. “That’s the guy I’ve been telling you about. You really have to meet him, Lori.”

Theo spoke no more as the match commenced with Madam Hooch’s shrill blow of the whistle. Suddenly fourteen coloured specks dotted against the clear, cold sky, getting into their positions. Theo watched Scott’s progress into the air, wishing him luck again in his head. There wasn’t much to do at the moment for the Seeker anyway, and Theo found his attention inevitably diverted to the Chasers battle over the Quaffle. It went from Lenora Byers, a seventh year Gryffindor prefect, to a Hufflepuff Chaser whose name Theo didn’t know. He wanted to use Lori’s binoculars, but his eyesight was good, so he didn’t really need it. Silently, Theo hoped the Gryffindor girl racing to intercept the Quaffle would get it; after all… he was rooting for the reds.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori eyed herself in the mirror. She sighed taking in the crème and pink ensemble. It was very much something that Lori Leigh would wear, but Lori had not taken much interest in fashion lately. No, she was trying hard to get into other things. She had spent an unusually long amount of time playing the violin. That at least gave her a feeble excuse when Theo asked if she would hang out and she simply couldn’t heart it. Lori loved her best-friend in more ways than he would ever know. And she was trying so hard to move on but Lori had learned that to do that, she would need to meet someone else. But she hadn’t. Really, she hadn’t tried that much. Nope, most of her time had been spent locked up in the Room of Requirement trying to play her violin or just trying to get away from it all. The less time spent with Theo was more time that Lori had to get over him. She really was trying, but it was pretty much a day by day process. Lori felt like a recovering alcoholic. Just like an alcoholic, Lori was trying to get away from her weakness: Loving Theo.

Lori grabbed her pink and gold scarf as she left her room. She was glad to have some time with Theo was more people around. When this occurred, she felt less awkward. Plus, Florence would be joining them with a few friends which was good. Florence technically didn’t know that Lori loved Theo because Lori had not told her, but in a way she knew. Florence was smart and she knew Lori in a different way then Theo did. Lori smiled slightly. She had always liked to watch Quidditch even if she wasn’t one for playing the sport. Lori was terrible at sports actually. But today she wouldn’t be cheering for Ravenclaw. No, this game was Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. At first Lori hadn’t understood why Theo was so keen on going to this particular match, but that was until she learned that Scott played for Gryffindor. Scott was Theo’s new friend and he seemed to be the only thing that Theo wanted to talk about lately. Well, not really. Lori was just over exaggerating. Lori didn’t know much about Scott except that Theo thought he was amazing. At first, this didn’t bother Lori. But with time, Theo talked about Scott more and more making Lori extremely jealous even if Theo didn’t know this. Lori had come to be a good faker. Yes, the honest girl had to hide things now. She just had to not just for her sake but Theo’s as well. Loris sighed and made her way to the Common Room to meet Theo.

“Hey yourself.” Lori said smiling. It was easier now. It was easier to fake feelings. After all, she had months of practice under her belt. But at least it was easier to be Theo’s friend now too. Everything was complicated, but Lori hoped that it would get easier. It just had to. She nodded. “Let’s go.” Lori and Theo then made their way out of the Common Room and then out of the Castle. It was sure to be an interesting day. Freezing yes, but interesting. Lori hadn’t yet seen this Scott fellow. She wondered what he looked like. She wasn’t even sure if he was gay. Theo hadn’t mentioned that. Lori sighed. It didn’t matter. This was still the boy that Theo recently loved to talk about. Scott was the boy that had Theo so fascinated. How great could he be? Lori and Theo exchanged the normal chit-chat as they left the Castle and made their ways to the Quidditch Pitch. The air was icy and it stung Lori face. She sighed trying to make the feeling go away but it didn’t quite work. Well at least she got to hang out with Florence and things would feel a bit normal. Lori felt normal with Florence around her and Theo. Lori felt less-stressed that way.

Lori and Theo found their seats in the Pitch. She sat down comfortably and looked around for Florence who hadn’t come yet apparently. Lori took a sharp breath when she felt that Theo was no warming her hands in his. She offered him a smile like always. She pretended to feel nothing, like always. Then Florence showed up. Lori smiled. “Late as always little sis.” She said smiling. Really, Florence did look like Lori but other than that, they were pretty different in some ways. But in others, they were like twins. Lori smiled and took out her binoculars and looked at the players. She smiled at a few of her friends from various houses even if they couldn’t see her for the moment. After Lori used them, Theo took hold of the binoculars so that he could point out Scott. Lori nodded and faked a smile as Theo spoke. She didn’t want to look at him, but when she finally did, she noticed how cute he really was. And she didn’t even mind telling Theo that she thought so. “Oh that’s him. I know that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but he looks nice.” She smiled. She knew that she couldn’t make Theo jealous of course, but she could at least try without making him suspicious. “He’s cute too.” It probably wouldn’t work of course, but Lori didn’t care. Lori sighed and tried to focus on the match even though it was hard. She smiled at Theo every once and awhile, but he was busy looking at Scott. Lori just sat, faked a smile, and wished that she could be this person that Theo talked about like he was a king.

[Theo Darke]

Theo nodded absently when Lori said Scott looked ‘nice’ and ‘cute’, a smile forming on his face. “He’s definitely the former, but the latter I leave to you girls to decide.” He grinned. Theo was gay, but he didn’t talk to Lori about who he thought was ‘cute’ and who wasn’t. The truth was he thought Scott was very good looking indeed, and yes, Theo was attracted to him, but he wasn’t the first guy that he had liked – if he was, Theo wouldn’t already know his own sexuality! As per usual, he kept his thoughts on other guys to himself, because although he was open about being gay, he was still wary about indulging this sort of information to anyone – even Lori. Theo doubted his best friend would enjoy hearing about his crushes that she would likely also fancy; plus, Lori had never spoken to him about boys… in fact, Theo had to say, he didn’t even know a single crush Lori had ever had. It was as if she didn’t have any! Theo didn’t think Lori was shy to tell him – Lori told him everything. She did occasionally make comments such as a guy being ‘cute’, just like she had done now, but they were always rare.

Theo supposed it was a good thing Lori had never talked to him about liking other guys. Although he did not love Lori in that way, he was still extremely overprotective of her, like a brother, and looked out for her when it came to guys. Theo knew if he would ever lose his temper over anything, it would be over Lori, and how she had chosen the wrong guy for her. Theo held strong to his beliefs, and he could already imagine him surveying every single one of her future partners with narrowed eyes. Even now, at the tender age of fifteen, because of her looks, her personality, and her intelligence, Lori was well liked and wanted by almost every guy in their year, and maybe even above and below. She stood out, there was no question about it. Lori Leigh was an adorable, pretty face, with the brains to go with it, plus a fabulously kind and sweet personality. She really was the whole package. The fact that she had never had a boyfriend was a shocking piece of news to any stranger. It was only a matter of time before she fell for someone… but Theo wondered who it would be.

Theo had lost count over the last five years how many boys had attempted and failed to hit on Lori. He had had to sort out a few mishaps now and again (the boys that just didn’t know when to give up…), but usually Theo didn’t have to bother – Lori turned them down herself. She was quite polished at it by now. Before Theo had come out as being gay, he had received many gifts from admiring and hopeful girls. However, for both Theo and Lori, none of them had ever meant anything. Eventually most people learnt from their mistakes. Theo still remembered and knew each and every boy that had ever tried to woo Lori (especially those with ill intentions), and continued to be aware of them (and he was prefect now too), but Theo knew one day he had to cave. One day, Lori would find herself the ‘perfect man’, and they would live happily ever after. Theo was going to have to let his baby go, and that day would be a tearful day indeed. On the other hand, Theo knew that one day he would find his ‘perfect man’, and Lori in return would have to wave goodbye to this idyllic childhood friendship.

Meanwhile, the Quidditch match was progressing, but without any results. The Quaffle had been passed swiftly between the six Chasers; the four Beaters had been hard at work whacking the Bludgers here, there and everywhere, so much so it was a miracle an injury hadn’t been made yet. So far, Cassandra, a Gryffindor prefect in the year above Theo, had made a save, and Sophia, a fellow classmate, had just saved too. The score was still nil-nil. The Keepers were doing their job. Theo had only managed to refrain a gasp when Scott had almost been hit by a Bludger, and thankfully he had seemed unhurt, but the impact had distracted the Gryffindor. Theo hoped Scott was unhurt; neither he nor Charles had seen the Snitch yet, so the game was still going. How long would such an aerial parry last? Sometimes Theo couldn’t understand that urge… that thrill. He admitted he enjoyed feeling of rising and falling in the air, but Theo wasn’t a risk-taker, and being the careful, cautious person that he was, Quidditch was a dangerous task to undertake. Still, Theo thought. If he was ever asked to join the Ravenclaw team, he would consider the offer properly. Theo wanted to know what it was about this sport that Scott loved so much.

[August Reid R7]

All right, August thought. Wool socks, dragon hide gloves, scarf, hat. I think I have everything. Today was the very first Quidditch game of the year and it was cold outside. While the players on the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor team moved around and usually worked up a sweat, it was cold sitting in the stands. Therefore, August wanted to make sure that he would be able to sit through the cold for the entire game. He threw on his robes and tied a cloak over them. Some might say that he was overdoing it, but August just wanted to make sure that he stayed warm. When he was younger he had gotten frost bite and he had never forgotten how that felt. His hand still tingled sometimes. His mother was very careful to bundle August up from then on and the trait passed to August when he went away to Hogwarts. Looking in his mirror he giggled to himself. It looked as if he had gained twenty pounds by he didn't care. Still, it was funny to see himself.

Walking into the common room he met Belle. She and he had planned on attending the game together. They had randomly met one afternoon and formed a fast friendship. "Don't worry, it's just water weight," he told her smiling. Belle was a year below August but he really believed that she was very mature. She seemed to have gone through a lot in her life and felt many more emotions than most girls her age. Then again, August liked to think of himself as mature for his age. He often thought himself as the leader of the Reid children. Jack probably would not agree, but Jack could be as stubborn as a two year old sometimes. Then there was Bronsen. Poor, sweet, Innocent Bronsen. He would soon learn the truth of the world. The thought saddened August. August loved to see Bronsen smile, it seemed to light up the entire room. "Shall we then?" he asked Belle offering her his arm. No, they were not together, they were just friends. But August liked to escort the people he was walking with. It made him feel needed.

They headed down to the main floor of the castle and out onto the Grounds. It was fitting that the two would spend an afternoon together. After all, they had met in the afternoon. Belle had taken a candid photo of August when he was thought he was alone. They started a conversation and knew that they would be good friends. Both shared the same sense of humor and seemed to think alike. Plus, August could really use a friend. He had been trying to go through life all alone. It would be nice to have someone to talk to that was not part of his family. Some shoulder to lean on. Belle seemed perfect for the part. They made their way to the Quidditch pitch and up into the stands that were traditionally Ravenclaw. The game had already started and much of the school was already in the stands cheering. August had previously decided that he would root for the Hufflepuff team. He wasn't particularly fond of Gryffindors and would love to see them lose. Plus, as the new Ravenclaw Keeper he would much rather play against Hufflepuff. August and Belle found seats relatively close to the front and sat down. In front of them August discovered was Theo Darke, a fifth year Ravenclaw talking with a young lady. August tapped Theo on the shoulder to get his attention and then said, "Hey Theo."

[Isabelle Leynette R3]

Isabelle brushed her brunette hair deciding to wear it down with a stripes visor beanie. The hat was originally made for guys, but she had seen at a muggle store when she had gone shopping with friends in the summer and had to have it. She was sure she would be the only one at Hogwarts with it, and not to mention she loved the fact it was black and blue, that was all it toke for her to know it was made for her. And what better time to wear then today? It was the first Quidditch match of the season. She wasn’t much of a Quidditch fan, actually not at all, she was eager to spend time with her friend. That was the obvious silver lining, but this time there were two. She was able to dress up. She loved it. She toke a final look in the mirror at her outfit making sure she was ready to leave. A lot of black and blue, just for her to wear her new hat. Not that that would be obvious since it was her house colours. With a smile of approval she rushed downstairs making sure not to be late.

She seemed to be walking into the common room just as August was. She had to laugh when she saw him. He looked ready for a blizzard. "Don't worry; it's just water weight," He told her as he approached, she laughed. That was why they had become friends. They had been able to make each other laugh. It had been a random afternoon filled with pictures, a heavy subject, laughter, and a new friendship. Belle was so glad she had met August, he was the friend she needed, and she was sure she was the same for him, before her he just seemed rather sad, not to mention she was rather sad herself. “I’m sure.” She told him trying to sound unconvincing. "Shall we then?" He asked her offering her his arm. “We shall.” She replied taking his, letting herself he escorted out of the common room and the castle out to the Grounds.

Belle was glad she had worn a beanie that covered her ears because she was sure they would be cold from the wind that seemed to be picking up. They walked the exchange conversation about nothing. As the got closer to the Quidditch pitch a rather amusing question registered in her mind. “So which team are you rooting for?” She asked him out of curiosity. She wasn’t sure herself; she was generally leaning towards Gryffindor. They finally made it finding some seats near the front. As they sat down August seemed to recognize. He tapped the guy on the shoulder and Belle was surprised to see the older Ravenclaw she had meet at the student lounge. “Hey Theo.” August was saying as Belle brought herself back from the memories of the afternoon. “Hello Theo.” She presented her own greeting. With him was a girl that wasn’t familiar to her personally, but it was sure to be Lori, she was Theo’s best friend, everyone knew that.

[Theo Darke]

Theo turned around when he felt a tap on his shoulder, wondering who it could possibly be. His eyes made contact with familiar blue ones belonging to a boy in the year below him, and his confused visage broke into a wide grin. “August!” He greeted cheerfully, standing up and patting the Ravenclaw on the shoulder. “I should’ve guessed I would be seeing you around here. It’s been a while since we last talked, huh?” He sent August a lopsided grin, before another voice, though a female one, spoke up his name in greeting too. Surprised, Theo glanced over August’s shoulder, and his beam merely widened. “Belle? You’re here too? Now that is a surprise for the girl who dislikes Quidditch so much.” Theo teased good naturedly, sending her a bright smile. “Fancy seeing you here with August… hey, do you two know each other or something?” He asked curiously, eyes flicking between the younger students. He didn’t think they were ‘together’ together, it didn’t seem that way, but the fact the two Ravenclaws also knew each other seemed such a coincidence. Theo had only met the two and talked to them extensively recently, so what a twist of fate! “This is a surprise.” Theo commented, chuckling. “It’s been a while since I talked to you too, Belle. How have you both been?” He asked politely, his usual good manners emerging without his conscience noticing.

“Lori,” Theo turned to his best friend in her seat; she was looking at the newcomers without recognition, so he decided now was time for introductions. “These are friends of mine I met recently. This is August Reid, he’s in fourth year, and this is Belle Leynette, third year.” Theo had a good memory of names and years and faces in general. “Guys, this is Miss Lori Leigh, my infamous best friend. She’s in fifth year too.” Theo’s face was split in a large grin, glancing to Lori’s face to see what she made of this arrangement. She was sure Lori would recognise the two from around the Common Room and school; they’d had lessons with August before, since some of the fourth and fifth year lessons were shared. Theo was surprised he hadn’t really talked to August before that day in the Great Hall; usually the people in the year above and below you in your house would be acquainted well with you, especially someone like Theo who was a prefect, and with his open personality. However, things changed with Theo’s admission of being gay, and so… perhaps it wasn’t so surprising after all.

“August, Belle, have a seat.” Theo sat down again and motioned towards the two empty seats to his left. “You haven’t missed much. Hufflepuffs seem to be dominating. I’m rooting for Gryffindor myself. What about you?” Theo sat back, looked across at Lori again with a smile, and settled to watch the match in relative peace. He genuinely hoped Gryffindor would win… because if they did, that meant Scott had caught the Snitch. Theo let a smile linger on his lips, thinking back on what Scott had said to him the other night. It warmed his heart a little to recall it. He was also contemplating what Scott had talked about concerning Quidditch… since that night Theo really had been thinking about flying and Quidditch a lot more. He made a mental note to one night go flying on his own, to determine his own skill and passion for the sport. Maybe he did have some buried within him; it certainly ran in the family, and within the Darkes, such traits were passed on quite traditionally. Wesley had been surprised his eldest son had disliked Quidditch, had almost not believed that there was a male Darke who didn’t enjoy the sport. But Theo had remained steadfast. Then again, his parents had barely believed it when he had told them he was gay. Brittany and Callum knew too, but because they didn’t’ really understand the complications of that, telling them hadn’t been so hard. Theo had been worried of his parents reaction, but when they said they didn’t care, and they loved Theo for who he was, a huge weight had been lifted off him. Theo had felt relieved, happy, and most of all, liberated.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori nodded at what Theo said. He sound really weird in the way he said it, but she decided to let it go. Some things were still uncomfortable for Lori and Theo to discuss. Lori sighed. Maybe she should have held her tongue. Lori and Theo didn’t talk about who they liked. Well, Lori didn’t for obvious reasons. Or at least they were obvious to her. Theo didn’t talk about who he liked either. It was still an odd area for them, especially for Lori. But, Lori couldn’t help but try and make Theo jealous even if it would never work. She at least had to try. Theo was very protective of Lori; wasn’t jealous. Lori knew this, but she still wished that he was jealous. Lori had turned all of those boys down for a reason of course. Most of them were too forward, some weren’t her type, but most of all, they weren’t Theo. Lori realized that one day, she would have to move on and actually try and find someone, but it was hard. After all, all those years she thought Theo was her prince. But, he was. One day Lori would have to grow up and find her own fairy tale.

Lori wasn’t really focusing on the match. She didn’t like Quidditch much. She only really watched when Ravenclaw was playing. She didn’t pay to much attention to any of the rest of it. But, she tried, She focused on Scott for a moment. He seemed very concentrated on finding that snitched. But, so did the Hufflepuff Chaser. Lori shook her head, and focused her eyes on the sky. That way, she looked like she was watching the match, but her head was really in the clouds. Lori eyed Theo for a moment, but he seemed so focused on the game. So, she looked back to the sky. Could the day get any worse? Lori had a tendency of getting bored fast, but never this fast. She was insanely bored. Of course the fact that Theo and Lori were only at the match for Scott’s sake made her a bit angry as well. But, she wouldn’t say anything about it. She had to stay quiet.

Lori turned her head as she heard a voice. She eyed the boy. He seemed a bit younger than Theo and Lori, but not by much. So, he was probably a fourth year. And Lori recognized him, but only by his face. He was most likely a Ravenclaw. Yep, actually Lori was sure of it. Lori didn’t know him, but it seemed Theo did. He had an even younger girl with him that Lori didn’t know either. Great. Lori wasn’t in the mood to meet new people, but she faked a smile and kept that to herself. The girl knew Theo as well. Lori stared at Theo. She didn’t know either them, but of course Lori and Theo didn’t share all the same friends. But, they did share a good deal of them. Lori called the boy’s name loudly. Theo was quite talkative for the moment even if Lori was not, but she could at least fake it, right?

It looked like Theo knew the two separately He didn’t seem to know they were friends or anything. What was the girl’s name? Oh Belle, right. Yep, Theo was surely in a good mood. Lori wasn’t so much, but she had become quite good at hiding things over the months. Lori nodded as Theo introduced them all. “Hi.” She said nicely. Lori eyed the game. She decided to look engrossed in the game and then she didn’t have to talk much. True, it wasn’t exactly what Lori would normally do, but she wasn’t in a normal mood. She kept that fake smile on her face and eyed Hufflepuff’s every move. If that Scott fellow was on Gryffindor, than Lori would cheer for the opposite. She didn’t even care how childish that really was. She smiled to Theo and the others and then looked back to the match.

[August Reid R7]

"Honestly, I'm rooting for Hufflepuff," August replied to Belle as they tried to find their seats among the crowd. August found that he didn't care much for Gryffindors. Slytherin and Gryffindor often came into the spotlight because they were the 'evil' and 'good' houses respectively. That meant that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw got pushed onto the back burner. Gryffindor's self-righteous attitude sickened August. Slytherins were just plain mean. But Gryffindors were mean in a different way. They were snobs. They thought they were the special house because Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom come from that house. Well, so what? Famous people came out of every house. As one of the prominent wizarding schools in the world, it was inevitable that famous people would come out of it. Gryffindor was no more special then the rest.

August was glad to see Theo and met his infamous friend. It was always nice to see friends outside of an academic setting. True, the common room was not necessarily a classroom, but sometimes it felt like it. Just the other day, August had come down from his room heading toward the Great Hall and there was at least twenty people in the common room but the room was silent. All of them had their noises buried in some book or another. It was so weird sometimes to be surrounded by people and yet feel so isolated from them. That particular day, August's foot had accidentally caught on a chair leg and as he caught himself, he made an "Oof" sound. All twenty students looked up at him and gave him the dirtiest looks they could muster. August mouthed an apology and slipped out of the common room as quickly as possible. That was just plain awkward.

At first August thought that Lori didn't like the two intruders because she didn't really talk to them. But she appeared to be enjoying the game as she turned toward the action and smiled. She must really enjoy Quidditch, August thought. Or else we just interrupted a really important conversation. August let Belle sit between him and Theo as he answered Theo's question. "I'm actually rooting for Hufflepuff. I'm glad to hear that they are winning so far. I'm not particularly fond of Gryffindor as a House. I had this nasty run in with a Gryffindor the other day named Ezzie Mendez, I'm not sure if any of you know her. She's in my year. But she's not the reason I don't like that house. Most of the students that I meet from that house are cocky blokes and they hide behind a facade of.... of... self-righteousness." August hoped that he didn't offend any one but he was strong in his ideas.