One Last Time ((Not Reserved))

[versnowa]

The time had flown by.

It was funny how long the years had seemed at times, how he had even yearned for the holidays in some of his years at Hogwarts so he could take a break from all the studying. Today he wondered how the seven years had passed by so quickly and how he was going to be saying goodbye very soon. In the bustle and rush of the school year and what with all the studying he had been doing he had had very little time to think about anything except his studying and his dream of becoming an Auror. Robin had changed during his seven years at Hogwarts; he was still the same daring, cheerful, and optimistic boy he had always been, but his outlook had changed. He had become more serious because of his dream and the tragic events of the year, and also because of the fear of the impending war. All this had made him work even harder to achieve his goal.

Robin stared in front of him as he swung his legs inside the lake, trying not to think that this might be one of the last times he would get a chance to do that. He wondered if anyone would come out and leave their studying to sit outside now. He rather doubted it, everybody was pressed for time now, most of the people had left their studying a bit too late and were cramming and revising feverishly. A year ago he had been one of those people. This year was different, very different. For once Robin was prepared, that didn’t mean he wasn't just as nervous as the years before, but this time he was nervous for a different reason: he didn’t want all his hard work to have been done in vain. He smiled a little to himself as he thought of Dorian and his other friends and how much they had been a help to him. He wondered if they would lose touch after school and vowed that he would not be the one to forget his friends first. He hoped they felt the same way. Robin had stuck to the timetable his friend had put for him, and he had to say, Ravenclaws did know what they were talking about when it came to drawing up a revision schedule.

A fish in the lake came up close to the shore, jumped out of the water for a minute and back again, then started spinning around in a circle. Robin bent down to look at it when he saw the reflection of someone who had just joined him by the lakeside.

((Open to practically anyone.))

[Sadie Rivers H6]

((hope you don't mind))

As Sadie walked up toward the lake, she noticed a boy sitting there. He looked much older than her, but the lake was so big that she didn't think it would bother him that she sat out here.

As she kneeled down to slip off her sandels, she began to ponder the recent events in her life, her finding out she was a witch, her mom getting sick, and her not hearing from her dad. Plus, she had not been doing well in classes and even though her friend was trying the best that she could to help, Sadie just didn't feel that she would pass finals. She knew that a lot of the older students had bigger worries than passing finals, for they had their OWLs and NEWTs coming up.

She suddenly noticed that there weren't as many people outside today, and she wondered why. Most of the students liked to sit out here and study in the fresh air. It didn't bother her though. She just wished that she had some one to talk too. She didn't like not having some one to talk too, it made things too boring.
She determined that she would just have to be patient and dipped her feet in and sat down.

[Ashley Hill]

((Hope you don't mind Ashley joining.))

Ashley laid on her back in the Hufflepuff fourth year girls dorms looking up at the ceiling wondering what to do. She had just finished her homework for the night and was bored beyond belief. Normally she could find something to do with her friends but they seemed to be busy with their own things at the moment. It was the end of the school term and students were studying everyday for upcoming OWLs or NEWTs. Ashley had to admit, she didn't want to go in her fifth year because of all the home work. Being cooped up in the dorm for a long time didn't really seem to fun.

Turning on her stomach Ashley looked down at Sassy curled in a ball in the sunlight purring very loudly. Closing her eyes Ashley tried to fall asleep but she couldn't. Blowing at a strand of hair in her eyes and looked out the window and smiled. It wasn't raining for once which was good because that meant she could go outside. Standing up straight in her bed Ashley pricked up a little as an idea came to her head. "Outside.....Yes brilliant idea. I can chase people around, swing on trees, and go to the lake. The lake! Yes another brilliant idea." Ashley told herself putting her long frizzy blond hair in braided pig tails and running down the stairs and out of the portrait hole as fast as she could.

Opening the big wooden doors to the grounds Ashley run out into the sunlight and spin around in circles fast and fell on the ground from dizziness. Giggling Ashley got up and looked all around her and felt even more hyper. There were so many people! Running to wards one of the trees Ashley jumped up from the ground and caught herself on a tree branch and started to swing. "I am a monkey everyone look!" Ashley said dropping on her hands and using it to scratched her head with. "e e ou a!" Ashley chanted feeling her arm go numb.

Dropping to the ground Ashley wiped her hands on her jeans and looked up to wards the lake. The sun was shinning on the water making it simer. Today was a beautiful day and seemed to make Ashley a lot more hyper than she was before. Running fast toward the lake she saw two people already there. One was a boy who looked like a sad seventh year and the girl looked like a first year just trying to find company. A sly smile came to Ashley's face as she climbed the trees and peered through the leaves looking down at the two. "Hey you two look I am a monkey!" Ashley said grabbing hold of the branch again and swinging like a monkey would. "e e ou a!" she chanted and slipped down from the tree and smiled up at the two. "Hey I am Ashley Hill who are you? The lake is really pretty today! I wanted to take a swim but nope watching it is fun. Hey you the tall one why are you looking so down?" Ashley said feeling the excitement rush through her body.

[versnowa]

Robin turned his head and noticed the young girl and wondered when she had arrived. He hadn’t noticed her at all. She was much younger than he was; she had to be a first year from the look of her. Robin opened his mouth to say something to her when suddenly the quiet serene aura surrounding them was disrupted. An energetic girl with braided pig-tails had joined them, jumping around like a yo-yo. Her loud voice and boisterous entrance distracted him from his other partner, and he blinked a few times as he watched her climbing the tree and hanging from it impersonating a monkey. He smiled suddenly. It was good to see someone that happy, that care-free. Everybody was so serious nowadays. Even he was. Him. Robin. The guy who never, ever, worried about anything. The girl was dressed in muggle clothes as was Robin and his younger companion so he couldn’t tell what house she was in, but she certainly didn't look anything like the studious Ravenclaws or the arrogant Slytherins and he knew she wasn't a Gryffindor or else he would have seen her around the common room.

"Hufflepuffs both of you right?" said Robin. He raised his eyebrows at the girl's question. "I'm not exactly swinging from chandeliers or trees in your case, but I'm not down. Just in a contemplative mood. I'm thinking about life after Hogwarts you see. Not something you have to worry about just yet," he said. He turned to the first year and gave her a grin, splashing a little water at her feet. "Not something you have to worry about for a long while. Bet you're still worried about getting through your first year right now. How's this year been for you?" he said, genuinely curious. He could still remember himself starting out at Hogwarts, a tall and gangly boy back then, certainly very different from the popular boy with the considerable charm he possessed today.

((Anyone means anyone )

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

((Hope you don't mind another Hufflepuff ))

The end of the school year was almost there, and Jordan was looking forward to it. She wasn't the only one, she knew, but there were few who didn't want it to end, and there were few who were scared for it to end. There were those who had served their seven years at Hogwarts already, and there were those who didn't want to leave and never come back. Jordan was only a fifth year, so she had two more years to go before that dreadful day she would have to say goodbye to everyone for good and not come back the following year. Jordan didn't want to think about that day, it was quite depressing to think that she would one day never come back to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was her home away from home, and she loved it; but she knew that there would be a day where she would have to step out into the real world. Whether she wanted to or not.

That day wasn't today, however, and Jordan wanted to spend the rest of her fifth year with her friends, or making new ones. She adored making new friends. She couldn't, though. Everywhere she turned seventh years were in deep thought, or crying, or going through career choices and it brought Jordan's mood down a knotch or two. Jordan hated it when people weren't at least care-free, after all wasn't life supposed to be fun? Why would you want to live it, holed up in some place that isn't even close to fun? She could never really understand this, and that was what she was trying to do at the moment. Her brown hair flying behind her, a serious glaze in her eyes, and her lips clamped shut. She hadn't spoken all day, and nothing had come off it. She still didn't understand.

Jordan was at the point where she wanted to walk up to a graduating seventh year and ask them why life can go from so care-free to so worried in ten seconds flat and why it's so serious at times? She was only 16 after all and she didn't quite understand life. No seventh year could answer her though, that or they blew her off. Who wanted to pay attention to a petty fifth year anyway, right? Jordan sighed and continued to walk, her footsteps leading her towards the lake where three others were gathered. One, who was climbing a tree. Jordan had to giggle at that, "Ashley..now there's an example of a care-free person." Jordan spoke, her voice cracking from the sudden movement and exercise of her throat. She cleared it and then walked over to them, wondering what to do or say. She caught the end of a conversation and decided to respond to that, "Sometimes I wonder if there's life after Hogwarts. But I still have two years to go to figure that out, I take it your a seventh year?" Jordan asked, making her presence known.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley brushed her dirty hands on her jean while listening to the seventh year boy. He was talking about life after Hogwarts and said that she didn't really have to worry until a long time. To tell the truth she never actually talked about it with Elina or her parents. Ben Hill had always wanted his daughters to take over the family restaurant but deep down inside Ashley wanted to do something else. Shaking her head Ashley sat down next to the little Hufflepuff first year she seen in the common room. "Yeah I guess and anyways I am still young and in my fourth year so I am always in the mood to have fun. I still didn't catch your name and can you tell me your name again because I seen you around in the common room or at the Hufflepuff table eating." Ashley said with a smile about to say something else when another student decided to join there little trio.

Turning around Ashley smile grew as Jordan stood before them talking about how care-free she was. Jumping to her feet Ashley ran towards Jordan and tackled her to the ground. "Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Where have you been? I been so bored and went out looking for people. No one is in the common room that I know. To many books scattered on the ground there." Ashley said jumping off of her friend and helping her up. "I think he is a seventh year! Been talking about career plans after Hogwarts. But in the mean time lets have fun!" Ashley said looking back to wards the lake and running up to the boy trying to push him into it. But he didn't budge! "Hey no fair your bigger and stronger than me!" Ashley said crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her tongue out at the boy.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie was surprised to see that anyone had that much energy. She had been off in her own little world and had just now noticed the other girls. She had been enjoying the quite, but she was also glad to see that someone had the kind of energy that she wished she had. If Sadie had that kind of energy, she would be in the lake splashing around, but she had came out here just to relax.

" My first year has been a little dull, I haven't hardly made any friends, and I stink at potions." Sadie said suddenly realizing that anyone had been talking to her. " My name"s Sadie, and yeah I'm a first year Hufflepuff."

Sadie laughed at Ashley's attempt to push the boy over. It was kind of funny. She enjoyed watching people goof off like that. What the boy didn't know was that Sadie did have to worry about what would happen after she left Hogwart's, for she wasn't sure what she would go home to find.

[versnowa]

"'Course there's a life after Hogwarts! You graduate from here when you're seventeen or eighteen, why your life is just starting then! It's just a bit hard to say goodbye to a place you've lived in and loved and made so many friends and acquaintances. You find yourself wondering whether things will stay the same between you when you each go on your different ways. I know I'm not going to let them go very easily," he said. "But certainly your life's just starting. Do you have no plans at all of what you want to do later on? Isn’t there anything you enjoy more than everything else or that you're good at doing?" asked Robin. He could never really imagine himself pursuing a career he wasn't fully convinced he loved and wanted to do. Maybe some people could do that, but not Robin. He firmly believed that you had to do what you love so you could love what you do. It was why he had finally learned how to work hard and be patient, and if that something meant that much to you, there was no way you were going to get it unless you managed to learn that.

"Oh, and I'm Robin, and you're right this is my last year, and I'm a Gryffindor," he said. "Potions," said Robin with distaste, making a disgusted face. "Don’t worry about that, I never managed to get the hang of that till my fifth year. Also, you'll be surprised what you can do when you're not under Snape's nose and in those depressing dungeons. The first year of anything is tough," said Robin knowingly. He hadn’t ever had problems fitting in because he was outspoken and friendly, but he had had a few friends and knew people on the Quidditch team who were very quiet but turned out to be nice people once you got to know them. "Oh, don’t worry about that, you'll make friends before you know it," said Robin reassuringly. He was about to continue when he was suddenly interrupted by the hyper fourth year attempting in vain to push him into the lake.

"I'll show you bigger and stronger monkey-girl," said Robin his eyes filling with mischief. He stood up quickly and seized the fourth year around her waist, then lifted her up so her legs were dangling over his shoulder and her chest and head were dangling from his back. Years of Quidditch made it quite easy for him to lift her up and she was quite slim. "OK, you better be keeping your friend here happy, because she's going to decide on your fate. Do I throw her into the lake or do you want her around?" he asked, giving her one of his toothy smiles.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

" I'd say throw her in, the lake looks perfect for a swim today, and the weather is great for it too." Sadie said to Robin. She loved his smile, it was beautiful. " I usually don't have any problems making friends, it's just that I tend to be shy when around a large crowd of people." She continued to tell Robin. " And that's about the only time that I meet anyone, today I just got lucky I guess."

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley hands were still crossed over her chest as she looked at the older boy who introduced himself as Robin. Noticing him get up she tried to run back to wards Jordan but was already caught before even getting a head start. Squealing excitedly Ashley let Robin pick her up and placed her over his shoulder. "Hey thats not nice! Let me down!" she said trying to wiggle free but nothing happened. Sighing Ashley blew at a strand of fuzzy blond hair and looked at the younger Hufflepuff wondering if she really was going say yes. Giggling Ashley stuck out her tongue at Sadie playfully and brought her attention to wards a shinny fish that sprang out of the water. "Hey look a little fishy! It's so pretty!" Ashley said not taking her eyes off of the little fishy.

"A little fish a little fish swiming in the water a little fish a little fish gulp gulp gulp. He was just eaten by - A tuna fish a tuna fish swiming in the water a tuna fish a tuna fish gulp gulp gulp - He was just eaten by an octipus an octipus swiming in the water an octipus an octipus gulp gulp gulp. He was just eaten by - A great white shark a great white shark swiming in the water a great white shark a great white shark gulp gulp gulp. He was just eaten by A humongus whale humongus whale swiming in the water humongus whale humonguls whale blub blub blub." Ashley sang loudly to the fish giggling slightly at her childish song.

"If I go in you all have to go in." Ashley said closing her eyes and singing the song over in her head.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie thought for a minute about what Ashley said. " Ummm..... I still say you should throw her in." She told Robin, sticking her tongue back out at Ashley. She wouldn't mind jumping in or being thrown in the lake to be honest. It did look fun.

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

"Well, I guess, I don't sit around waiting for something to come to me. I go to it. I live life by the edge, day by day. I don't want to plan my future. Chances are that when I do graduate from here I'll travel, living life to the fullest. After all, life's too short to live like you are going to live forever. And I do have something I enjoy most, but it's not something I could pursue in the wizarding world. And colleges in the muggle world don't really look for a wizarding diploma, do they now?" Jordan replied to the seventh year, Robin was his name.

"I live life like I want to live it, and Hogwarts just seems to be the best. I don't think I can leave this place in two years. Maybe I could teach here, become the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lord knows we need a new one of those every year." She laughed lightly at that thought, it was a possibility. She did love teaching people new things, but she wasn't sure how good she was at that. Jordan shrugged at this and said, "As I said before though, I'm only 15 and I don't really need to plan my future just yet."

Jordan watched with amusement as Robin picked Ashley up and threw her over his shoulders, Ash would enjoy that. Jordan laughed as Robin asked if he should throw her in, the younger Hufflepuff told him to, then Ashley made her statement about if she went in they all went in. Jordan could take that, she laughed and nodded, "Throw her in, I dare her to try to get me in there." Her brown eyes twinkled with delight, and she waited for the fourth year Hufflepuff to plunge into the cold water.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie laughed when Jordan said that she dared Robin to throw Ashley in. It would be nice to take a swim, and it would be even more fun if she had people to swim with. Sadie sat there pondering over what all of the older students had been talking about. She could understand what Robin was saying, and she knew what the two girls were talking about. The three girls really did have some time to think about what they wanted to do after leaving Hogwarts. Sadie wanted to agree with Jordan, she didn't think she could leave the school either, she didn't even want to leave for the summer, but she knew she had to. That was the one thing that she wasn't looking forward too having to do.

[versnowa]

"Your wish is my command," said Robin affably, and then without further ado lifted his arms and threw Ashley in. Water splashed at him and his two companions, and suddenly Robin felt like just acting on impulse which was something he hadn’t done in a while although he was daring by nature, and the water did look rather inviting, clear and smooth and quiet. Well not quite quiet anymore. Robin slipped off his red T-shirt and dived gracefully into the lake. He swam for some time underwater, enjoying the rush that first cold plunge gave him. He then emerged and shook his head trying to get his hair out of his eyes, looking rather like a terrier shaking itself just after it had been drenched with water. He used his hand to do it in the end and swam towards Ashley. "Do you think we should go get them?" he said conspiratorially, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He looked back at Sadie and Jordan. "Come on you two, the water's heavenly," he said, swimming closer to Sadie and tickling her foot. He wondered if they would join them. He could already tell a bit about Sadie's and Ashley's personalities from the few minutes he had been with them, but Jordan's was still unknown to him.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie had luckily worn her swim wear under her clothes that day just in case she decided to go for a swim. She ran behind the tree, and after changing climbed to the top of it and dove in. " Did you think that I wouldn't join?" Sadie asked Robin. She loved being in the water, and sometimes thought that she should have been some type of underwater creature instead of a human. She smiled and laughed. The water was great and she had a few people to goof off with.

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

Jordan watched as she remained to be the only one not in the water. She planted herself firmly on land and shook her head rather furiously, "I don't think so! Water and me? Nut-uh." She wasn't going to get into that lake willingly. They had to drag her in there kicking and screaming if they wanted her in there. Jordan clenched her fists and waited for what she thought may be coming. She knew Ashley would be willing to push her in, but Robin and Sadie; Jordan didn't know well enough. She looked at them, anticipating their move.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie waited to see if Jordan was going to come willingly into the lake. When she saw that Jordan wasn't going to get in on her own, she looked at Robin and Ashley, " What should we do guys, should we just let her stay on the edges, or should we go get her?" Sadie asked the two.

[Ashley Hill]

((Sadie and Robin I am going to be gone for a while so you can just continue this post without Ashley or wait. I really don't mind what you three decide to do.))

Ashley was singing the song over under her breath just in her own little world. That little fishy just kept jumping out of the water with its gills shinning in the sunlight. All Ashley wanted to do was coax the fish over and kiss it and turn into a prince. No.....That was a frog not a little fishy. Smiling Ashley watched the animal jump out of the water and noticed herself being dropped. Shrieking Ashley landed into the cold water and floated up to the surface where she gulped for air. After feeling slightly herself Ashley dove into the water and started to look for that little fishy. "Fishy were are you.." Ashley said underwater and watch the bubbles rise above the water. Kicking her feet as hard as possible she rose to wards the surface yet again taking another deep breaths of air.

Dipping her head under the water Ashley smoothed out her blond hair that seemed to escaped from their pigtails. Giggling Ashley saw Robin swim to wards her and ask if they should threw them in. Smiling Ashley looked from Sadie to Jordan back to the older boy shaking her head. "You can get Sadie in but for the other one....hum....." she said deep in thought kicking her legs in different movements just to keep her head above the water. Ashley had always been a very petite girl and always wished to be taller. But her mother was short and so was Elina. Ben only seemed to be the tallest person. Well her dad was six feet and Ashley hoped to be as tall as him some day.

Putting her head under the water Ashley smoothed her blond hair out again and smiled as Sadie decided to join them. Swimming over to wards the new comer she huddled them in a circle to discusses a plan about Jordan. "Now Jordan would never come in her so we just ignore her for a while and have fun. She might come in. When ten minutes is up and she still hasn't budged we can all push her in or splash her!" Ashley said with another one of her mischievously smiles that would belong to some one who would be pranking another. But pranking wasn't Ashley's thing. OK maybe on Elina but that was for other reasons.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie was had just splashed into the water as Ashley had began to speak. She had splashed both of her new friends. She hoped that they were her friends at least. She was enjoying having someone that enjoyed goofing off as much as she did. " Hey Robin, what are we going to do about Jordan, she doesn't want to get in here with us." Sadie said, hoping that the seventh year could hear her.

[versnowa]

"Can't be bothered to force someone to do what they don’t want to. Besides, I'm enjoying myself doing what I like, is she doesn’t want join in, I say let her be," he said, flashing Jordan a lop-sided grin and then swimming towards the brink of the lake. He hoisted himself up so his shoulders were outside the lake, placing his arms on the grass to balance himself. He looked at Jordan for a moment before speaking, thinking over what she had said. It seemed as if she had quite a number of dreams she wanted to fulfill, or perhaps she was still unsure as to what exactly she wanted and this was why she had so many different plans. "Well, I agree with you about life being too short and to grab opportunities when they present themselves and not wait till you lose them. I mean, I've had to learn that the hard way, you see I want to become an Auror, and well I'm not exactly what you’d call a model student, so I left a lot of things to the last minute, well not the very last minute, but I did have to learn a lot in a short period of time. And sometimes that is just plumb impossible. But thankfully I had friends to help me and run after me so I think my NEWTs didn’t go too badly. Left to my own devices I'm sure I would've done much worse," he admitted unashamedly. Robin was very friendly and relaxed, he saw no reason why people wasted time doing what was called "breaking ice" and etc, he personally thought that if you opened up to people and weren't scared of admitting your flaws people would open up to you and admire you for it.

"Defence Professor? Wow! I could never be a teacher. I wouldn’t have the patience or be able to put in the effort needed for a job like that," said Robin. A determined glint entered his eye that had not been there before after Jordan's next remark. "You're right about that, I was so mad when Professor Lupin had to leave. Nikolaeva's not so bad – but Lupin, well, we've never had a teacher like him," said Robin with a sigh. "By the way, if you want something, I really think you should go for it. When people waste too much time pondering on different options when they know they like a certain thing more than anything else, I think they're strange. I don't see why just because you're a witch you can't live in the muggle world. It's not like you'd be the first witch to do that. Are you a pureblood? Because even if you are, it's not difficult to get accustomed to the muggle world," said Robin with a shrug. "And it's never too early to decide what you want. That way you can prepare yourself better I think," he said. "Hey Sadie, swim over here," he said waving at the young girl who was still where they had been a few minutes ago.