Just..searching (Sephora)

[ashley]

Alarice gazed out of her dorm room window, out at the snowy mountains in the distance and frozen lake on the Hogwarts grounds. The sky above swirled clouds of pewter grey and white, just as it always did in the winter months. She let her hazel eyes wander over to Hagrids cabin near the Forbidden Forest and they followed the curling puffs of smoke up through the air emitting from his chimmeny a moment before she closed them in defeat. She had been trying to distract herself but it just wasnt working. Thoughts of her father kept creeping into her mind, along with all of her doubts and fears, and all together they were enough to drive her insane.
I need to get out of here. She thought, hurring towards her dresser drawer and pulling out a red hoodie, a pair of jeans and slipping into them. Out of this room, out of this castle. I just need to get away. She finished dressing and then hurried out of the portrait hole in the Common room. What she needed was to be around people. She just needed to surround herself like she always did when she was feeling down and soon enough it would all just go away. She would be able to forget about it all.

Alarice practically ran all of the way into Hogsmeade and once she arrived in the Three Broomsticks she was completlely out of breath. She glanced around taking in her surroundings, then slumped herself into a chair in the busiest section of the bar.

I just want to find him. Alarice thought to herself. I just need to tell let go all of this crap he's been making me haul around for so long. I just want to tell him how much he's hurt mum and me.
Alarice looked around frantically for someone to talk to before she just burst. It was all to much. Now even the noise of the pub was getting to her. God I'm such a mess right now. Was the last thing Alarice allowed herself to think before she layed her head down on the table and squeezed her eyes shut.

[britishbrunette16]

Sephora let out a long, frustrated sigh as she bounded into her Gryffindor dormitory. She had been looking for her best friend Alarice for over an hour now and thought that maybe she would find her in the Gryffindor Common room. She was wrong. She also didn't appear to be in the dormitory either. All five beds were empty and neatly made. Sephora plopped down on her own bed and stared out of the window. The sky was a depressing white full of emptiness. Trees were swaying back and forth due to the bitter winter wind. She was exhausted from running throughout the castle in search of Alarice, and she rested her head on her pillow. Where is she? I checked the library, common room, Great Hall....maybe she's out by the lake? Oh wait, already checked there. Sephora suddenly had an idea. She could be in Hogsmeade. I mean, Alarice looked a bit upset this morning, and I know where she goes when something is bothering her. Grabbing her winter robes and some gloves from inside her trunk at the end of the bed, she dashed out of her dormitory. Sephora raced out of the castle while attempting to button up her robes. The walk to Hogsmeade was frigid and tiresome, but soon enough she came to be in front of the Three Broomsticks. Entering quickly to get out of the cold as fast as possible, she took a look around at the rather large crowd inside. Seeing as Alarice wasn't near the front of the pub, she pushed her way through a few groups of people to get near the back. Scanning the tables with hopeful eyes, she found Alarice sitting in a dark corner with her head rested on the table. Sephora knew immediately that something was wrong and she rushed to Alarice's side. She sat down beside her and prodded her with her finger.
"What's up?" Sephora asked anxiously.
Alarice looked up at Sephora with surprise.

[ashley]

Alarice was biting her lip as hard as she could to keep herself from crying just as she felt a soft finger prod her head up from her arms. She looked into the face of Sephora, her best friend, just the person she needed to see even though she hadnt thought of it. "Whats up?" Sephora asked her quickly. Alarice wiped her eyes for any stray signs of tears and grabbed her friends arm. "Let's get out of here. I need to talk to you." She said, dragging Sephora from the crowded pub and out onto the streets of Hogsmeade. The bitter wind rushed through her long brown hair and blew open her robes. "Here, lets go into the Hogshead, its less crowded and right now, for once I just want to be away from people." She led the way into the pub and avoided all of the stares she was receiving from the odd witches and wizards and hags that normally occupied the tables. Alarice hurried to a corner seat and slumped herself into it. She gazed up at Sephora, not sure of where to start. Al let out a long, heavy sigh and said dully, "I'll go and get us butterbeers." She just couldnt complain to Sephora right that moment. She couldnt tell her what was wrong. Alarice wasnt the only one with a parent who had abandoned them. But still, at least Sephora had her uncle Areson, who was seriously the coolest man alive. But Alarice was stuck with a mom who didnt give her the time of day, and a torturous muggle hating step father who loved to pretty much give her hell. Oh and I cant forget about his two lovely children. She thought sarcastically.

[britishbrunette16]

Sephora waited impatiently while she watched Alarice make her way up to the counter for a couple butter beers. She was uncomfortable at the moment because she knew something was troubleing her best friend. Glancing around, Sephora saw an old man sitting far away reading the Daily Prophet. On the front cover, Sephora could just make out the face of the famous Harry Potter. Aka, the boy who lived. It's probably another one of his interviews. She waited a few more minutes, passing the time by drumming her fingers on the wooden table and swinging her crossed leg back and forth. She smiled at Alarice as she returned to the table and plopped down a jug of butter beer in front of her. Sephora took a few small sips to push away the disturbing silence between the two of them. When Sephora couldn't stand the quietness anymore, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "Okay, something's bothering you and you need to clue me in. Maybe I can cheer you up?" Sephora half-smiled.

[ashley]

Alarice took a slow sip of her butterbeer and watched Sephora closely. She was just dying to bombard her with questions, Alarice could tell. She stifled a small giggle. Sephora was just so curious most of the time, just like Alarice. Neither of them could ever control their questions. After about a minute Sephora cracked. Alarice decided that it was best to just tell Sephora what was bothering her and what she was planning on doing. Maybe they could do it together. She took a deep breath and set her butterbeer down in front of her.

"I've been thinking a lot lately. About my dad." She paused, searching her best friends face for a reaction, then continued on slowly. "And I've been wondering about him. You know, where he is, what he looks like...if he still....you know....wonders about me as well." Al squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Even though I'm sure he probably dosnt." She sighed and waited a moment before finishing. It was painful to talk about, especially when she wanted so desperately to just scream at him for leaving, when all the while she needed him to tell her he loved her. "It's like, with your mom. Don't you ever just...want to find her?" Alarice asked. Sephora's mother had left her as well, when she was little. They hardly ever talked about it and Alarice felt it was time they did. Maybe they could help eachother sort through all their feelings about it.

[britishbrunette16]

Sephora set her jug of butter beer down and listened closely to Alarice.

"It's like, with your mom. Don't you ever just....want to find her?" Alarice asked and then paused looking at Sephora anxiously, searching for an expression of response.

Sephora felt her whole body become stiff at the mention of her mother. Her and Alarice had avoided the subject of their parents for so long that to hear the two discussing them in the middle of Hogshead seemed beyond surreal. It was frightening and seemed forbbiden. Sephora was taken aback and hadn't been expecting this at all.

Alarice was still staring at her, waiting for any kind of words to come out of Sephora. But for once, Sephora couldn't find anything to say. Thinking of how neither of them had grown up with both a mother and father was just so incredibly horrible and hurtful. Sephora knew that this was her chance to get all of her feelings and thoughts about her parents off of her chest. Taking a deep, ragged breath, Sephora spoke.

"More than anything" Sephora said barely above a whisper, her voice cracking. She looked into Alarice's sad eyes and felt floods of tears come to her own.

[ashley]

Alarice nodded at what Sephora had said. She wanted to find her mother as well. "So why dont we do it?" Alarice asked. "Why dont we find them? Because I dont know about you but I have quite a few things I'd like to say to my dad.." She paused and took a sip of her butter beer, all the while noticing that Sephora appeared to be crying. "Aww, Seph dont cry." She reached out her hand and patted her best friends shoulder comfortingly. She felt her eyes beginning to burn with tears as well, so she looked around quickly. "Hey, wanna get out of here so we can talk more? Go somewhere quieter." She guestured toward the noisy room and took another sip of her butterbeer, mainly out of anxiety.

[britishbrunette16]

Sephora now had tears running down her face and onto her chin. She didn't know she would take the mentioning of her mother so emotionally. She wiped them away hastily and sniffed. Sephora then sat and listened as Alarice came up with a crazy idea. Crazy, but brilliant. Sephora always wanted to find her mother. Just to see what she looked like, why she had left her.....
Alarice asked if she wanted to go somewhere else, probably with the means of discussing this sudden idea more. She nodded and got up from her seat slowly. The two walked out of Hogshead and entered the frigid winter outside. They walked in silence for a while, each of them in their own thoughts.
What if I finally did find my mother? I'd have so many things to ask her. So many angry and cruel feelings to express. I'd probably end up screaming at her for all of the pain she caused father and I. Father........ I really miss him. Why did I have to have both of my parents leave me. It's not fair.
Somehow or another, they both found themselves standing in front of the Shrieking Shack minutes later.
Well, it's quiet here at least. Sephora slumped down on a rock. The top of it was slippery with ice and she slid a little to one side making room for Alarice.
"So....." Sephora said trying to say something. "I've been wanting to find my mother forever. I just never said anything about it. But now since you said we should go and find our parents, I really really want to. The problem is I have no clue where she lives."

[ashley]

Alarice followed Sephora out onto the icy streets of Hogsmeade and into the bitter brisk wind. They walked a while down the path in silence, occasionally dodging a pack of students or the stray shopper as they passed, but all the while Alarice's mind was on what she had finally proposed to Sephora.. There was something more that she needed to tell her about the situation..

They finally made it to the outside of the shrieking shack, and the two friends sat down on an ice covered, slippery rock, just outside the ledgend building. The shrieking shack was widely known to be the most haunted building in all of London.

Alarice turned her body so that she was facing Sephora, slumped down against the bottom of the rock with her back to its icy exterior, and said "Sephora, I know where my dad is..." She smiled sadly and nodded her head. "I found out yesterday. Now I just want to go and find him. Meet him. Berry searched and she found his house and I have the adress and everything." Alarice said quickly, shivering in the cold. "I know I should have told you from the beginning. It was just...I dont know if I have the courage to go out and see him. What if he..." Her voice trailed off and her breath dissapeared. She had been about to say about a million things, but had stopped herself. If she was ever going to go after him then she had to stop scaring herself out of it. She looked over at her best friend and waited for her answer.

[britishbrunette16]

"Wow! Alarice, this is huge!" Sephora said excitedly, but she also suddenly felt a strong need to protect her. What if her dad treated her badly? Alarice would be so disappointed and hurt..... "Do you think you're going to go? I mean, you must be really nervous. Wow." Sephora repeated. "Wait, you used Berry?" Sephora gasped in the winter air. "What if Midnight could find my mother? I never even considered that." Thoughts raced through her mind at the speed of light, followed by a mixture of all kinds of emotion. This was the most biggest day she'd had in a while. She felt like running up to the Owlery right at that moment to send Midnight in a quest for her mother. But she knew she couldn't. Sephora couldn't just leave her best friend stranded and confused. It was difficult to concentrate though, because she was so fidgety now and the freezing cold kept her on her toes. The ice beneath her began to melt from the warmth of her body and the back of her jeans were beginning to get wet. She jumped up quickly as an excuse to let some of her energy out, and she stared down at Alarice who remained frozen in her spot. Sephora waited as patiently as she could for Alarice to answer her.