introductions (Elina, Robin)

[Mia]

Maria looked up at the clock as the bell was about to ring. To tell the truth she didn’t even want it to ring. Arithmancy was her favorite class and it was quite fun to find your inner self with simple addition and subtraction. Turning the page of her book she read through all the traits carefully. Some of them didn't really seem like Mia at all. But no one ever knew them completely. The bell finally rang and many students hurried out of the class room to the common rooms or outside. Spring was finally here at Hogwarts, and brought some rain, and even a little warmth. Maria was never a big fan of rain. To tell the truth she never really liked it. To some people it brought out some happiness but for Maria it brought fear. It was like almost every rain drop that fell from the sky was a tear drop. But could the sky ever cry?

Collecting her things Maria said good bye to Professor Vector and walked out of the classroom and up the stairs towards the Library, where she told Elina to met her and talk about Easter plans, and also read. Maria really wanted to invite Elina to come with her to Ireland and met her father. He was finally off the show jumping circuit and spending time with his family. Maria never really adored her father for leaving her mother for another girl. But he was the only thing she had left of her mother. At times, Maria would just climb in her old mother’s bed and think of the good times. Think of her first time on a horse, in a show, join up, and her letter to Hogwarts. Just before her sixth year, Marion died and Maria feels into a big desperation. But wouldn’t anybody for losing something that mint so much to you and only cared for you. Sighing Maria shock those thoughts away from her and just thought of her friends. That always made her feel better on the inside and forgot almost all of her fears.

Opening the door to the library she took it all in. So many books surounded the seventh year and made her feel excited on the in side. Taking a deep breath, Maria walked over towards the charms section and saw Elina picking out a book. Smiling even more, Maria almost ran over towards her best friend and gave her a hug. Leting go of her friends body after a while she smiled and looked at the title of the book. "Working on charms today I see. Glad you got my message and came. I want to talk about Easter vacation." Maria said smiling and looking up at the books around her. There were a lot of books in different sizes and colors. Some were old and other seemed brand new. But that was the beauty of wizarding books. All were different and full of so many things.

[versnowa]

It was the perfect time of year right now to take a vacation if you were to ask Robin – spring had finally arrived, sending away the cold chills and thunder and lightning of the cold winter, and bringing instead warmth and happiness to everyone at Hogwarts who looked at the flowers and trees that were finally coming to life once again. It was a sad year at Hogwarts and a hard one for Robin, what with the kidnaps and the state of turmoil the magical world was in and his upcoming NEWTs. In a way Robin wasn't too upset, for he would have hated his last year at Hogwarts to be uneventful. He just wished eventful did not mean that Voldemort was going to kill any of his fellow students. They still had no news of Julie Rosewood except that she was still alive, but nobody knew what Voldemort was planning next.

Robin was in the library, resigned to the fact that he was only going to succeed if he didn’t waste a lot of his time and stuck to the timetable Maria had drawn up for him. Today he absolutely had to finish off revising that chapter about Shifting and Placing Charms. He went over to the Charms section and his finger passed lightly along the books as he searched for the title of the book he was looking for. Just as he moved one book to see what was behind it his eyes looked into familiar ones and he smiled. It was Maria; he should have guessed she might have been in the library studying today before the Easter vacation started. "Hi Mia!" he said. "Finishing off what you told me to," he said.

((Mia, I hope it's OK that I said you were helping Robin with his studies. I can change it if you want me to.))

[ElinaHill]

"Madame Pince, you can't honestly believe that, the cause of this was because of them. Can you? The evidence is right there. If only you'd-" Elina was arguing with Madame Pince about a war fought several hundred years ago and, Elina was losing the argument. Something she never did well with. Before she finished her sentence, she turned around on her heel and left the elderly woman's side to the tall stacks of books in which her freedom lay. Elina sighed in anger and frustration and ran her forefinger along the spines of the books. She pulled one out, flipped through it, found the correct page, and walked over to Madame Pince in an even more angry manner and slammed the book down on the table in front of them, "only take the chance to look it up! You would see what really caused the war! Now, good day to you Madame Pince!" And with that Elina smiled a know it all smile and walked back to the shelfs.

She wasn't always this way, she just...was having a bad day. Ever since she recieved the letter stating she was to go home for the break. Something Elina would rather not do. But, knew she had to. She sighed moved to another section of books, music running through her mind. Les Miserables no less. The words of I Dreamed A Dream poured into her empty yet filled mind, and sent her in a lovely daze of sadness. She missed the days when her family would take her to see musicals such as this. She missed those days. And she knew they would never come again, never. For Ashley was now in the picture, and the girl couldn't sit still for something as beautiful as that. The girl didn't understand somethings like that. She was more active in sports and such. Then without notice, Elina started to sing another song, "I saw him once, then he was gone. We were like dreamers at night, who meet as in a trance, then part again! Two phantoms in the shadows of the moon. Can people really fall in love so soon? He walked alone, he seemed alone like me. Could he have known, that moment was my destiny? I had to run away, And it was like a dream. I saw him once, the dream was true. I saw him once, and once will do!" As Elina sang she continued to look at the books, her voice filled with beauty and steadiness. She enjoyed singing, but it wasn't really her passion, though she could do it.

Elina laid her head on the back of a stack of books and sighed as she thought of the musicals she saw, lived, breathed. Along with her books, they were her escape. She missed them dreadfully, but knew she couldn't do anything about that. She sighed again, and continued to sing quietly as she browsed for a book that would remotely catch her interest. Elina finally settled on a book that she had read before and pulled it out. It was then Mia popped out of nowhere and seemed to tackle her. Elina giggled slightly and hugged her back, listening to her friend talk about break, Elina sighed, "Don't remind me." She muttered as she took a seat in the nearest table. She lowered her head onto the table top and sighed in frustration. It was then she heard someone else speaking, yet she didn't bother to raise her head.

[Mia]

((Don't worry Robin. Maria did ask to help him with his studies.))

Elina hugged Maria back with the same expression as her own. A smile formed on her face as she hugged Elina tight, like a little girl who would teddy bear in the dark frighten. Maria loved her best friend to death, and she would do anything for Elina, to make sure she was safe or in need of some one to talk to. Maria didn't have very many friends here at Hogwarts. She made friends with a third year Hufflepuff named Ivy and that only seemed to be the only person. She was never close to Hermione or any other Gryffindor in her house. You could say she was the unknown person who people turned too in the darkest times.

Letting go of Elina from her second hug she smiled and turned around and reached for a note book and handed it to Elina. "Near the back is my latest poem. Take a look at it please. You know I don't have that much grammar issues, but my rhyming is terrible." Maria said with a smiled and noticed a book out of the corner of her eye. It deep red colored stood out and almost screamed for her to pick it up. Looking at it with a dazed look she never noticed Elina head over towards a table with her note book. Her mind was focused on that book and knowing what it was about.

Taking a couple steeps towards the section she smiled and picked the book up and held it in her arms. It was a Charm book but seemed quite complex and understanding. Touching the cover with her hands she noticed some one on the other end saying her name. Automatically she was taken away from the daze and looked into Robins eyes with a soft smile. "Robin! I see you are following the chart. Splendid." Maria said walking towards the other side and looking around for Elina. Noticing the small table and her friend resting her head on the table and looking quite defecated. Frowning, she turned her head towards Robin and forced a smile. "I wont you to met a good friend. Her names Elina. I think I mention her at the dance." she said smiling and taking her friends hand and pulling him over towards the table.

Approaching the table Maria put her shoulder bag on the end of on of the chairs and looked at Elina who still had her head on the table. Sighing she tapped her friend lightly on the back to get her attention. "Elina this is Robin Versnowa. Robin this is Elina Hill." Maria said gesturing her hand from one person to the other. Smiling she took a seat next to Elina and looked at her note book which was open and in sight. Gasping she took it from her friend and closed it right away. It wasn’t the fact that Robin might look, but it just wasn't ready. "Sorry a writer or a poet never shows her work until it’s done." She told Robin to make sure he didn’t get the wrong impression. Leaning back in the chair more she looked at the two with a grin in place, and waited for one of them to talk.

[ElinaHill]

Elina took the notebook from Mia, and started to read it, only to have it snatched out of her hands. Elina looked at Mia, then at the newcomer, who was introduced as Robin. A small, sweet smile spread across Elina's lips, so this was Robin. The Robin Mia had spoken about. Interesting. Elina snatched the notebook back from Mia after she took it away, "Gimme that!" She sighed and pulled out a red pen, going through and marking the mistakes, which were very few, then nodded and smiled, handing it back to her; "Stupenda." Then she turned to the newcomer, "Hi, I'm Elina...as she said. Nice to meet you." Elina hadn't heard much about Robin, only bits and pieces but, she was quite thrilled to finally meet him.

"So, you were saying...Easter break? Please, let it be something good. I can't stand the thought of staying with my parents a whole week or so..." Elina asked as she sank down in her chair, and pulled her hat on over her eyes. She wasn't sleeping, but listening. She was just trying to control her frustration. The black fabric was itchy against her skin but, she didn't mind. So she continued to listen to Mia but, interupted her once, "What are you two doing for break? Sorry, to interupt, just wanted to know." Then Elina was silent again. She lifted her hat back on top of her head and crossed her arms, thinking, the words echoing inside her head. She loved this song, but wasn't singing.

[versnowa]

"That's OK, I don’t mind at all," said Robin looking at Maria's companion, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and intelligent eyes of the same colour. He wondered who she was, guessing it must be the Elina Maria had told him about on Valentine's Day. He wondered what the girl could possibly mean by "Stupenda", but then she turned to greet him, and he took the hand she offered him and shook it. "Oh, hi Elina, it's absolutely fantastic to meet you as well," said Robin with one of his mischievous grins. "Mia's told me all sorts of things about you; it's nice to finally see you," he said still grinning.

He frowned a little at the mention of Easter. But the reaction from Elina was much fiercer than his. He wondered what her problem with her parents was but politely didn't pry into her personal matters. He loved his own parents and got along fine with them though they often chided him about not studying enough. "I dunno really, my parents have told me they don’t mind if I want to stay at Hogwarts," he said with a shrug. "Easter's really a time to be with family – um it is for me - but it is our last year at Hogwarts. I'm kind of torn between wanting to see my brother and sister and at the same time not wanting to waste a single minute of my last year here," he continued. "Lucky you," he said turning to Elina again, trying to cheer her up. "You still got one more year at this place. What about you Mia?" he asked.

[Mia]

Leaning back in the chair more, Maria looked at Elina as she pulled out her red pen and started to correct some errors on the paper. Sighing she smiled as she said it was just right. “Thanks Elina….” Maria said taking her note book back and opening it up in her lap. Turning around in her seat Maria searched in her shoulder bag for a quill or just a pen or pencil. There were so many things inside of that thing. Books, paper, pencil cases, make up bag, and even a muggle wallet. Maria never went any where with out her wallet. It had all the pictures of her mother and family inside, money, and even her driver’s license. I guess you could say she was a girl who didn’t give up on things and just keeps them around for a while. Digging around her bag for a while, she finally found her pencil bag and set it down on the table along with a muggle book “The Man Who Listens to Horses” by Monty Roberts. The book was about a man who went to the west and caught wild mustangs and tamed them by using the language of the horses with each other. Some horses in the wild could never survive. Some were poached and other died down because of people moving in on their land. It was a great story and really showed the interactions between one man and horses.

Turning the page of the book, Maria pulled her legs to on side and rested her elbow on the table and never too her eyes off the page. It was getting to interesting to stop at the moment, but she had too since her friends were sitting next to her. Sitting up straight she pulled a book mark out of her bag and to the spot she needed and rested the book in her lap and looked from Elina to Robin as they talked about Easter plans. "Well I am going to Ireland to see my dad and his wife. He is finally off his circuit tour and is spending time on his farm and with his wife and children. So Elina you want to come? He said I could invite a couple of friends. I promise we won’t hang around the stables all the time. Isabelle is taking me to a musical and I am most defiantly sure you are interested...." Maria said looking at Elina and wondering what made her friend in such a bad mood.

Sighing she smiled as Robin said he was probably going to go home or stay here at Hogwarts. "Well if you want your Easter Break to be eventful you can come with us. I am sure my dad wont mind. He is always wanting to meet my friends and wondering what’s going on in my life. Have you ever been in the muggle world before or ever seen a horse? Elina has been to my place plenty of times and rode only one horse." Maria asked as her checks grew a little warm. That could have been the wrong question to ask.

[ElinaHill]

Elina smiled at Robin as he commented on another year at Hogwarts, though deep down, Elina wasn't looking forward to that year. It meant school being over, and having her enter the actual world. A scary thought she wanted to rid herself of. Not that it did her any good, Elina was expected to take over the family resteraunt anyway, so she wasn't really planning on doing anything large. Nothing that would consist of a full 7 years of school, considering the resteraunt was a muggle resteruant. Ashley was only in her fourth year, however, and she was to help Elina with the resteraunt as well; Elina wondered how the arrangement would work out. Seeing as Ash was no good with cooking, but no good with management either. Elina was thinking she would have to do everything on her own, and that wasn't too appealing. Shaking her head, and coming out of her reverie she was just in time to hear Mia's offer to spend Easter with her in Ireland. Elina's smile grew and she sat up straight, "Ireland! I haven't been there since I was 2! Oh! Would it really be alright?! I mean, I will understand...oh, I wonder if I could!" Elina clapped her hands together happily, as if she were a young child, a giggle escaping her lips.

Then her smile faded, and her giggle was suppressed. Her parents. Were big family get-together types of people. Holidays were meant to be spent with family. It was tradition, Elina and Meredith would cook the dinner and Ashley and Ben would stay out until supper. Then they did all the provided Catholic things, finish supper, sit down in front of the fire, and Elina would read to them a book of poems. Sometimes Emily D ickenson, sometimes Anonymous authors. But, either way, it was still a tradition that was almost never broken. On exception of Elina being in the hospital 2 Easter's ago because, of food poisoning. Even then, they read a book of poems together, so the tradition wasn't wholly broken. So, the instant the happiness appeared on Elina's face, it disappeared and she looked at her best-friend, and sighed; "I can't possibly. Easter is big in my house. We have a lot of traditions, and I simply can not break them. No harm in asking though, right? Oo! Think of it! Musicals! Horses, staying away from those though!" Elina finally spoke, her smile returning to her lips.

[versnowa]

“Hmm… you do know how to make an offer that is simply impossible to refuse Mia. I’ve never spent Easter in the muggle world, should be really interesting. I’d love to come if it isn’t too much trouble,” said Robin. “Yup, I’ve been in the muggle world before, but not a lot. Of course I’ve seen horses… I even rode one once. It was a lot of fun and it's something I'd like to do again. I’d like to learn how to do it properly though. Especially with such an attractive teacher to show me what to do,” said Robin, winking at Maria. Robin was really interested in the muggle world and all their different inventions and ways that were different from the magical world. He never bored of learning new things about the world he wasn’t really a part of as he was a pureblood.

Robin wondered whether Elina’s parents would let her come too. Although his own parents were strict in some ways they wouldn’t want him to miss out on something they knew he really wanted to do. “Are you a muggle-born or a half-blood?” he asked. He was wondering if her excitement was just because she wanted to spend time with Maria. Perhaps the case for her was like him: there was also the added bonus of seeing muggle places he hadn’t seen before which made him all the more excited about spending the vacation in Ireland.

[ElinaHill]

Elina tilted her head to the right,her hat still perched perfectly on her head. Her sparkley blue eyes dancing in the light, she listened to Robin speak, and nearly missed his question. So when she finally registered that he had asked her a question, Elina quickly shook her head in a manner to say she was just coming out of a reverie, and smiled, "Half-blood actually. My father owns a resteraunt and my mother is chef there. My da-no-mom's the magical one. But, you never really know because, she doesn't use it. I am really the only one who uses magic around the house." Elina answered with a smile that said she was finally sure about her answer. Having been slightly confused about her family's history and blood. Elina put her hand on top of her hat, and fixed it, banging it to the right slightly so it dipped over her right eye.

"So, if I can go, is it gonna be us three? And really tall horses? Or is there going to be someone else there?" Elina directed this question to Mia, a small energetic smile playing across her lips. Her attitude had changed from when she had first started out in her 6th year. And Mia was a big part of her attitude change. Elina went from being a shy, timid, teenager, to someone who enjoyed life and was very active. She talked to people without using perfect grammar and she had resorted to using smaller words. Though her vocabulary was still wide. Elina's eyes flickered to the window, and she saw how sunny it was. She yearned to go outside, but she ketp her wants to herself and turned back to the two people she was talking to.

[Mia]

Maria smiled as Robin said he would love to come. This would be a great Easter break, since the fact that her two best friends are coming to her fathers. "Great! Horseback riding in the morning and at dusk, followed by a musical at night. That sounds like a vacation to me. Just tell me if you two can come and don't worry my dad and his wife won’t really care." Maria said with a smile and turned her head out the window and thought about the vacation. Maria and her father weren’t so close and she was not yet to forgive him about cheating on her mother. It was a selfish and wrong thing to do. At a point of her life she looked up to the man. He was a famous show jumper and loved horses very much. But she was nothing like him. Maria was more like her mother and even in the looks department.

Looking out the window, Maria's eyes sparkled under the light. The sun was out and the wind blew lightly as she could tell by the swaying of the trees. Everything seemed so peaceful and right at the moment. Her mood lifted and a smile formed on her face as Elina finally spoke. "Well threes one more person. His name is Josh; well he is Isabelle and David's son. He's cool I guess but never really talked to the boy before." Maria said with a smile as she sent a wink towards Elina. "How about the three of us head out side. The sun is shinning and the warm weather. I can't give that up. Or would you two like to read and start to study. Your choices." She said shrugging her shoulders and hoping her friends will say yes.