First Thaw ((Dana))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

An early Saturday morning in Advent, light making a half-hearted attempt to turn the sky light enough that the occupants of Hogwarts castle had no excuse to stay in bed. What light there was started to illuminate the cold snow scene, crisp beneath the feet after a fresh fall in the night. Melody's breath spiralled out in front of her, clearly visible; the water vapour freezing as it reached the cold air. She watched it with detached interest, taking a deep breath of the cold air and gulping at the cold she had just let into her system. She looked with satisfaction at the white-covered world around her, tramping solidly down the covered wooden planking leading to the Owlery. Everything looked so different when it snowed. All covered in a chilly, beautiful coating, giving some things an almost eerie appearance. But yet it was so fragile - those tiny geometrical crystals of ice in the world suddenly hushed by the onset of wintry weather.

To the onlooker Melody could only be headed in one direction - the Owlery. And there she was indeed headed, for the purpose of communicating with her parents. She had never been an epic letter writer; nor had she ever felt the need to be. There were distractions enough at Hogwarts (nothing less than a school of magic, after all) to keep her from missing her parents much. Nevertheless, today a letter was on its way home - courtesy, she hoped, of one of the school owls. Her parents were going to stay with some cousins in Hull and she'd been rather forgotten in finding room for the family get together. There was no room in the inn for Melody to stay, so instead she would be experiencing a Christmas at Hogwarts. Melody contemplated this cheerfully. The decorations at home could never rival the majestic ones provided in the castle, although possibly her mother's cooking could that of the house elves.

On the other hand, staying in school would mean she would have no escape from the tense atmosphere there was around the castle nowadays. People were more worried about Death Eater attacks than they had been in her first year here. Things were dangerous. While Melody tried to brush it off and forget it - there was nothing she could do - the warm lights of Muggle home seemed far safer than those that even now could be seen as a faint glimmer from windows as people started to rise to the cold, snowy scene. But she wasn't going home so she would enjoy her Christmas spent at the school. She brushed some snow off the wooden rail at the side she was walking on and scooped a handful up into her bare hand, covered by no glove. She winced against the cold but ignored it as she examined the exquisite form of the snowflakes in her hand. A moment later they were gone, and she was left with a rather wet and increasingly cold hand. She rather liked the way the snow only lasted for a moment. It made it more precious, so that she appreciated it more. Glancing around at the frozen landscape surrounding her, Melody started to hum a Christmas tune she'd had in her head persistently for a good few days now, while starting to run along the wooden planking. It made a racket in the stillness imposed by the white world around her, but she couldn't have cared less. It was Christmas, and she felt ready for it.

[dana]

Dana shrugged Kris’s long heavy winter-cloak closer around her body as she closed the silver clasps that were meant to hold the black velvet together. The cloak was much too big for Dana, as the sleeves went past her finger-tips and the hem with the silver lining was practically dragging in the snow. However the cloak was warm as Kris had worn it before and it’s heaviness on Dana’s shoulder was comforting in a way. Dana used one of the sleeves of the cloak to dab her eyes. IT had been hard to talk to Kris about Dana’s part of blame in him getting blind, yet now that the conversation was over Dana felt a lot better. Still a bit shaken, but better. Her eyes were probably rimmed with a bit of red, but for the first time over a long while Dana actually felt peaceful.

Not really wanting to go back inside the castle yet, Dana turned away and slowly started to walk towards the owlery. It should be more-or-less empty anyway, with the exception of owls. Most people didn’t really visit the owlery overly often. Actually Dana didn’t either but that was where she was heading today anyway. Today wasn’t an ordinary day anyway. Besides smoke still rose from Dana’s ears – courtesy of the Pepper-Up potion Kris had gave her. It would do no good to catch a cold just in time for Christmas, even if she was forced to spend Christmas at school for the first time. But Dana supposed that it would still be alright.
Hearing a bit of a ruckus and a humming voice Dana glanced up only to catch side of a familiar looking dark head. Smiling at the accent Dana grinned watching the Gryffindor 2nd year for a while. They didn’t get to meet very often – due to different houses and very different time-tables as Dana was a 6th year herself – but they did have a couple of run-ins form time tot ime. Dana liked the cheerful girl actually.

“Melody!” Dana called up at the girl to catch her attention before waving to Melody. Perhaps they could talk for a couple of minutes as there had been a bit of time before their previous meeting. Raising the hem of Kris’s cloak a little higher so it wouldn’t get into the way Dana took to a light-jog catching up with Melody in a few moments. Slowing to a walk once again Dana let out a breath that turned into a small cloud of mist before her face, before the breath floated away into atmosphere. Letting Kris’s cloak drop to the ground again Dana smiled at Melody happily, while turning her head in greeting: “Hey, Melody. How have you been? Haven’t seen you for quite a while actually. Expecting Christmas and Santa Claus?”

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody glanced around as she heard someone calling her name. Unfortunately she also carried on running and humming - and whilst running and humming along icy boarding was rather tempting fate, running and humming along icy boarding while not looking where you were going was definitely hastening disaster. It wasn't long before she was sliding along the walkway (which was quite fun as a matter of fact, save for the fact there was a lack of control which was just slightly alarming), uttering a number of polite exclamations - "Whoa... Eeeeee... Ah!" - the latter of these being as she finally overbalanced. While the bumps incurred were nothing she wasn't used to, the boarding was rather cold, and, having finally managed to stand up without sliding over again (which did happen several times since she took the foolhardy attitude that if you tried something enough times it would work eventually) she hastened to pull out some mittens from one of the pockets of the brown corduroy jeans she was wearing underneath her warmest winter cloak and pulled them on, grinning at her new companion as she did so.

"Well I would blame thoo fer that were it not fer t'fact it were me own fault fer tryin' to do a wee bit too much at once," she said to the Ravenclaw prefect it turned out had called her name. "Co-ordination's a good thing to develop, Ah'm sure, but no doubt Ah'm trying to do that in t'wrong place. Ice in't the friendliest thing, eh? Ah do recommend free sliding though. It's very fun, though it does hurt a wee bit at the end, it does. M'appen Ah should've got meself a cushion of air to land on - would stop some of t'bumps an' bruises, eh?" Melody started to walk along the planking once again, which was nearing its end in the stone steps up to the Owlery. No doubt those would be slippy. Melody smiled at Dana and replied, "Well Ah've mainly been trying to avoid doing me Potions 'omework. An' o' course I'm expecting Christmas. A White Christmas, in fact," she added, singing the last words as in the well known song, "fer if they cannot manage one of 'em 'ere, I dunnot 'ave a clue where they can. As fer Santa... Father Christmas we call 'im in my family, by the way... well I s'pose he's welcome so long as 'e doesn't leave me lumps o' coal. Very presumptuous of 'im ter decide 'elp is needed wi' keeping warm." Melody grinned at Dana and then bent down to scoop up a handful of snow, shaping it into a finely crafted snowball. She held it out to show her intention - she was a lass of honour in that she at least gave some warning, after all - and then took aim and threw it. "We've a White Advent at t'very least," she shouted out, before collecting more snow together.

[dana]

“Oh,” Dana exclaimed as Melody looked around only to slip a moment later and glide shockingly gracefully for such unstable floor down the icy planks. Wincing slightly as Melody fell Dana didn’t reach her still before the younger girl was already standing up. Holding onto the railing so as to not imitate Melody’s float over the boards Dana grinned at Melody and nodded her head in agreement: “Ice most certainly isn’t the friendliest thing. I’ve always looked at people skating and marveled at how graceful someone can be on just two thin blades. However I have never gotten the hang of it myself. Well I tried once. I was a young and still naïve 10 year,” Dana sighed dramatically placing a hand over her heart, before launching into the dramatic story of her childhood and skates emotionally, “ I got onto the ice, fell and sprained my ankle. Brave girl as I am I didn’t cry. I screamed on top of my lungs and well with the help of magic actually because people couldn’t stand my yelling and so I got onto the ice again. This time I completed about half the circle but then I lost my balance and while falling hit my head at the railing and got a concussion. This time I didn’t cry either. This time I just very fainted like suitable fro a young lady. And that was the end of my adventured on ice. I still think skating people look graceful though.”

Letting out a grin at the sight of Melody starting to gather snow Dana immediately turned to do the same. She was yet to pass up on a good snowball fight. Forming the snowball between her hands Dana made sure it stuck together and looked up ready to throw it at Melody. Before she got to do or say anything a snowball was already flying her way. Not having time to duck Dan simply squeezed her eyes shut the ball of snow she had been flying falling somewhere to the ground never even reaching it’s target while Dana brushed the snow out of her face suddenly feeling the urge to laugh. She had been avoiding such simple emotion for so long, she had been carrying a lot of hurt around in her heart… Her friends had tried but jokes or pranks couldn’t cheer her up, but now something as childishly silly as a snowball made Dana’s heart want to burst. Maybe it had been because of the talk she had had with Kris, but Dana let out a giggle. A giggle. Grabbing a handful of snow form the railing next to her, Dana bushed it together and sent the make-shift snowball flying towards Melody as her giggling turned into full-fledged laughter. A sound that had yet to be heard from Dana’s lips this school-year. And maybe that was what made laughter taste even sweeter to Dana than usual.
“Merry Christmas! And I do hope that you won’t be cold, even without Father Christmas’ coal,” Dana called happily to Melody feeling as if something inside her, that had kept her laughter locked up deep inside her had suddenly cracked. For once over a long time Dana was truly happy for no particular reason actually.

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody leaned against the railings as she listened to what Dana was saying, holding on tightly with her arms and allowing her feet to slide back and forth. She kept her slightly widened eyes on the older girl as she narrated her story (she liked it when other people told stories, though she wasn't much good at doing that herself) and grinned only slightly, not entirely sure what her response was supposed to be. While she wouldn't exactly admit it, she held the older prefect in awe; Dana was someone who was clever, witty, outgoing and fun at the same time. And much more complex than the simple Melody. But ice-skating! Melody had never been a particularly physically-orientated person. She rather preferred her music and took up most of her time doing that. And the great outdoors. Ice-skating wasn't generally something you could do in the great outdoors in Yorkshire. It might get cold sometimes, but not that cold.

"Sledgin's more fun," Melody asserted, before grinning. Nothing needed to be said about a snowball fight. And Dana, despite being the older, more mature person that Melody didn't quite understand (not that she usually made many attempts to understand people, but since she was thinking about this), was still fun enough to become completely engaged in some wintry mischief. Her snowball had apparently been quite well aimed. Melody joined in Dana's laughter and bent down to gather new snow into a compact ball, noticing as she straightened up that there was more snow coming at her. She was still partially bent down as it hit and so it got the top of her head where a woolly hat with pompoms hanging down to her ears protected her from the cold. Melody straightened up slowly, careful to keep the weight of the snow on her head, and then threw the snowball she'd prepared earlier at Dana, not bothering too much to take careful aim as she'd just been tickled by another idea.

"Merry Christmas to thoo too!" she replied smilingly. "And don't thoo worry yerself about me bein' cold," she added, "Ah could not possibly be. Ah'm t'Christmas pud now!" It could be argued she didn't look too much like a Christmas pudding - she was still very much Melody with the bunches she favoured so much - but to the creative eye the white topping on top of the dark hair could be taken in that way. Melody's mind was just one that dreamed up unusual things to spice life up a little. "Jus' need t'brandy an' then thoo can light me up!" she exclaimed happily. "Ah'll be proper toasty then." Melody pulled one of her mittens off and checked that the letter she'd been intending to send to her parents wasn't getting all soaked by this snow. No; it was still intact. Perhaps she should make it a little safer though. She tucked it away in the pocket as many layers under the supposedly waterproof cloak as possible and then grinned at Dana as she made another snowball, this time not throwing it but using her wand to add a dark brown colour to the bottom. The top of the snowball got a fresh layer of white snow and then she stuck a few stones in to serve as currants. There. All done. Melody used a simple charm to make the whole thing stick together and then tossed it gently over to the Ravenclaw prefect for inspection.

((Ah'm sorry it's taken so long to reply, and that t'need fer this post is probably long gone. But Ah thought it'd be fun to post nevertheless. If tha're not so keen on carryin' on jus' let me know. )

[dana]

((*tight huggle* You know I will always make time to post with you!))

Dana laughed taking much delight in the small thing she had forbidden for herself for this long. But laughter had almost seemed like treason while Kris had even less reason to be merry now that he had lost his eye-sight partially because of Dana as he had protected her without any hesitation. Yet now that the first giggle had escaped her almost against her own will it felt so right. Kris would be alright as well and seeing Dana in a better mood might actually do good for him. „Sledging is great. However very often I seem to have the luck of turning over with my sledge. Skiing isn’t bad either, but have you tried snowboarding as well? Now that always freaks me out, even just looking at that sport. I mean who in their sane mind would want to rush down sharp mountain-side with a board attached to your feet and no break to slow your speed?“

Dana managed to move out of the way of the next snowball Melody sent her way. Only to have her forget that it was slippery here making Dana wobble awkwardly on her heels for a moment before she repeated Melody’s performance from before and landed hard on her bottom. Groaning and trying to climb back onto her feet while holding onto the railing Dana rubbed her now sore tail-bone groaning quietly as she made her way over to Melody just in case gathering some snow and forming a snowball on the way. „I’m getting old. Closer to retirement and pension. Soon you’ll be rolling me around in a wheel-chair and feeding be poured soup.“
Dana laughed and shook her head giving Melody a bit awkward hug with only one of her hands that wasn’t holding the snowball she had made. „And no brandy – you’re underage and brandy is too hard liquire anyway. And no burning you either. I like you just they way you are.“

Dana took a coule of steps back thrwoing her snowball from one hand into an other as Melody made sure her letter was alright. Luckily it hadn’t taken any water or rather snow-damage so far but it might be a bit safer inside Melody’s pocket. It took a few moments for Dana to decipher Melody’s words in her head as she did speak a rather intriguing accent. But once she had manged Dana threw her head back and laughed. A rich full sound that started deep inside her and bubbled out with Dana’s suddenly found happyness. „Yes you are, but I still don’t wish to see you toasted.“
Dropping the snowball she had prepared earilier Dana caught the make-shift snowball with decorations Melody had carefully tossed to her. Melody had a precise hand Dana noted with one eye. She might make a great chaser one day if she would take any interest in the sport. „It looks good enough to eat and a strong spell too,“ Dana concluded with a smile as she grinned at the stones Melody had stuck into it. Finding a couple of more pieces of stone Dana added two of them therefore creating a smiling face before turning Melody’s creation so the younger girl could see what she had done for a moment, before handing it back, as it really was a talented use of wand, „You like cooking in real life as well? For future references when I feel hungry and feel like kidnapping someone to make them slave before the hot stove and cook for me, whenever my stomach needs to demand for the daily tributes of food I’m forced to supply for it?“

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

"Oh Aye?" Melody asked politely, trying to visualise what Dana had just described. She wasn't entirely sure she hadn't seen people snowboarding actually, but Dana certainly made it sound dangerous. There must be some kind of thrill or fun involved in that danger though, since evidently people still participated in the sport. "Ah've not much knowledge o' snowboardin', to be honest wit' thoo," she admitted. "We've not enough snow fer skiing in Yorkshire either. 'Ave thoo been to Yorkshire?" she asked suddenly as pride for her county of birth surged within her and she hoped for a moment that the Ravenclaw would be able to appreciate with her the image of the way afternoon sunlight would play across the hills, lighting up heather, bracken and grass in various glorious shades as it passed.

Meanwhile Dana had managed to lose her balance and Melody grinned with a little sympathy as the other girl picked herself up and went over the visual memory of the prefect sliding that she'd just made in her mind again, still feeling a great deal of amusement at it. She hesitated at first as Dana hugged her - she wasn't at all used to anything of the sort and it took her rather by surprise - before momentarily returning it. "Eee, thoo bounce yet Dana," she said. "But m'appen it'd be best if thoo told me tha favourite flavour o' soup then, while thoo've still thy wits about thoo?"

Melody smiled at Dana as she commented on Melody being the Christmas pudding, a fleeting look of shyness passing over the Gryffindor's face. As her snowball pudding was judged, Melody took the hat off her head and shook the snow off it, stuffing it into a pocket. The cold meant that her ears were tinged pink, and the hat had made her bunches messy, but still they bobbed faithfully beside her as she ascended the slippery steps to the Owlery boisterously. She chortled at the face Dana had made on the pudding and said, "Ee, now Ah really am a pud! There's two of us!" She accepted the snowball back off Dana and stared at it for a moment, unsure what she was supposed to do with it. She left it nestling in her mitten - it wasn't about to melt right now - and slightly more seriously in reply to the prefect's question although still not entirely sure what she thought of the prosbect of being made a 'slave' Melody answered, "Oh aye. Well, Ah'm partial to eatin' good nosh, and good nosh do 'ave to be cooked first."

[dana]

Dana listened to Melody attentively smiling with understand at the sound of pride in her voice. She understood it perfectly. Dana was just as proud of the country she was born in, even though she didn’t live there constantly right now as in order to get accepted into Hogwarts you had to live in England. But Melody obviously loved her home-neighbourhood finding beauty at the local scenery at all times. “I’m afraid I have never really been to Yorkshire. Never had the luck or reason to go there and at times for holiday-trips something else has always interrupted my plans. I really do must come and visit one day when you are so proud of it though. Perhaps I could get myself some of that awesome accent as well. Though ah’m afraid Ah’m no good in speakin’ like tha.” Dana grinned as she didn’t really succeed in copying Melody’s accent, but at least she tried.

“Eh, my favourite soup? I’m not really overly fond of soups I’m afraid,” Dana said thoughtfully still pondering over the question. What kind of soups did she like? “Umm, perhaps cheese-soup. Or borsch with sour cream. Pea soup when it’s Shrove Tuesday naturally. But then again I suppose that when I’m that old, I will not feel the taste anymore really. But I suppose you would understand that I don’t like some soup when I like to pour it over your shoes. Or shirt when I like the shoes. And you’ll get cold without your hat. You had a letter to send anyway, so why don’t I accompany you to the owlery and you can ship it off, while your ears don’t freeze off. Here, you can borrow Kris’s had till then. He won’t wear neither that nor this cloak anymore.” Dana pulled out a black velvet hat from the pocket of Kris’s pocket, pulling it over Melody’s head chuckling lightly at the sight it created but then turned to move towards the owlery none the less.
Keeping a hold on the railing so she wouldn’t fall again – the steps appeared icy and as Dana discovered after stepping on them, were just as slippery as they looked – Dana climbed upwards to the door leading to the owlery. She didn’t really want to fall again. One time was quite enough for her behind that had taken the hardest part of her impact with ground.

„And while I’m most likely displaying real ignorance in the workings of the world, I can’t help but to ask. What is nosh?“ Dana grimaced towards Melody as she hunged her body-weight at the owlery door trying to pry it open as the slippery ground didn’t offer much other chances in finding proper footing ot be able to pull the door open. Managing to open the door Dana stoo by to let Melody enter the owlery first as the warm created by all the birds inside it was already coming to envelope Dana.

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody couldn't help but look a little disappointed as Dana said she'd never visited Yorkshire. She respected the Ravenclaw prefect greatly and would have liked it were she able to understand exactly the scenes she herself was imagining. And Melody had never tried very hard to hide anything she felt - there was just no point. Things were better frank; generally Melody wore her heart on her sleeve. Maybe that was why she and Snoopus didn't get on very well. Mind you, it could just be him. Melody chuckled and grinned at Dana as the Ravenclaw attempted to imitate her accent, thinking over the way she spoke for a moment. She just spoke the way her thoughts went through her head, those thoughts almost although not quite always hardly checked to see that they weren't just a little too frank. Some people needed more care taking with them... Snoopus was one of those. Feeling slightly surprised that she'd just admitted to herself the Potions professor was actually a person, Melody responded cheerfully.
"Oo, but tha're not a mile off, Ah can tell thoo. Ah'm not so good at speakin' like thoo either," she said, "proper an' all. I can," she added, "Well to some extent, if Ah'm thinkin'" she explained, easily slipping back into the accent that came naturally since she'd grown up with it, saying as much with a mixture of both accents. "Received English is not my best point. I do sing and you have to pronounce every syllable. So Ah cannot do better than that. Me Yorkshire accent is what's natural, me singing way o' saying things is secon' nature. Can't speak much French fer t'life o' me though so..."

Melody had been looking very earnest - she wanted Dana to understand what she meant since there was for her an important distinction between the way she spoke when she was in free thought and the way she sang. She hadn't been anxious to develop a trained singing voice but it had happened, so when singing just to herself she would mix that with her accent to compensate. Practice still had to pronounce each and every word properly though. Now though her expression lightened again as the conversation moved on to more jesting topics. "Ee," she said. "Per'aps thoo'll 'ave t'apple pie. Ah suppose treacle pudding'd be a wee bit too sticky fer aging teeth, but thoo can allus 'ave t'custard!" Melody pondered with a grin in the prefect's direction.
"But thoo're a long way off that," she said as a black hat appeared on top of her head, blinking and grinning happily as the fact she wasn't so very tall and she was also of a rather slender build meant the hat came down to her eyebrows - it must belong to an older student although she didn't actually have a clue who Dana meant by 'Kris'. She didn't ask either, instead saying, "Tha're acting more like me good mother at t'moment."

Melody looked at Dana in astonishment for a moment. How was it possible to not be aware what nosh was? How? "Oh-!" she exclaimed as she realised Dana was struggling with the door to the Owlery. But as she started forward to help the door eased open and Melody walked inside the Owlery through the door Dana was holding open, saying "Thank'ee" politely as she passed. Her voice lowered now they were inside the Owlery so as not to startle the birds, Melody answered Dana's question as she softly stroked the magnificent plumage of a school bird. "Nosh is food," she said. "Simply food. Puddin', pie, fruit, veg, fish an' chips, soup, crisps... anythin' thoo care to name really. Ready to make a visit to t'home o' Yorkshire tea an' t'finest county cricket team in England?" she added to the bird, giving it the envelope containing her correspondence which clearly bore her parents' names. "Thanks," she said, giving the bird a pat. "Give me mam a peck from me, now." The bird of prey eyed her solemnly before taking off into the cold winter scene where already fresh snow was falling.

[dana]

Dana laughed nad bowed her thanks as Melody stated that her make-shift Yorkshire accent had been acceptable. Dana liked languages. Their flowing melodies if not always the grammar rules. But then agian you had to know the grammar rules in order to speak a language. But a language gained so much more from accents and even slang. These things where what gave language life and inner fire that made it pleasant to talk. Even English itself had dozens different accents. And you couldn’t really compare US English to UK English. While similar in some ways, there were still so many differences.
„Well, I suppose that it also depends what someone calls ’proper’ speaking. And your accent sounds great. Never to worry about it. It somehow... I’m not even sure how to put it into words. Makes you sound sincere all the time as you are and makes your words almost more personal and meaningful. I really love your accent. It’s just the same for me and French. I was born in France originally and still spend my summers there at my grandparents manor, so speaking French is just as naturally to me as English is.“

Dana tilted her head and smiled lightly as she pondered over Melody’s words yet again. Singing? While she herself lacked all talent as well as proper musical hearing, she liked to hear people singing. It was a good way to express yourself Dana supposed. You could sing about what mattered to it and the melody in itself helped you share emotions and feelings. „I think I understand what you mean about singing as well. A way to express yourself easier? I think everyone needs something like that. Havin ghte benefit of a good voice most certainly comes in handy as well.“
Dana laughed and winked at Melody. „Apple pie sounds great. And so does custard, even though I don’t have much of a sweet-tooth. Under a cover of secrecy I must admit to you that I don’t really even like chocolate. And white chocolate is the worst even as it’s just too sweet. However much of a blasphemy some people would think it was.“

Laughing happily at Melody as Kris’s hat fell to her eye-brows. It looked amusing and funny. Something you just had to laugh at, even though Dana didn’t laugh at it from a bad point of view. „The hat isn’t exactly your cut I must admit, but then again my cousin is a lot older as well and had the hat like everything else he wears tailored. A bit of a waste of money as he counts clothes old after 3 winter-months anyway, so he wouldn’t be wearing either this cloak or the hat again anymore. Oh well, at least someone from the charity he donates his old clothes to will be happy about them.“
Dana nodded and raised her arm as Dorain floated over to greet her. „Nosh is food. Got it. Never heard of such an expression really. But I like it. It sounds funny. I tend to like some words for because of how the look or sound like. Nosh is nice too. One of my favourite words is ’scar’ though. I adore the letter ’r’ anyway, and at scar the r and c just start to play together. Weird, but eh... it entertains me sometimes. Do you play circket yourself as well?“ Dana asked changing the topic rather randomly after catching the sentence Melody gave to the owl she handed her letter to.

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody smiled shyly at what Dana said about her accent. The Ravenclaw really did have a wonderful command of vocabulary, and a range of words that while Melody understood she didn't make use of. "Ah'll 'ave to believe thoo if thoo say so," she said, "but Ah've no intention o' changin' me way o' speakin' anytime soon. So's not to worry about that, eh? Ah've plenty o' time to learn to speak t'Queen's English, an' not much need any'ow." Melody grinned and nodded enthusiastically at what Dana had said about singing. It was all true. "Aye... Ah can express meself that way. Music in general'll do fer that but Ah really like singin'... everythin' comes from thy 'eart, thoo see. Thoo've to use tha lungs to best advantage, an' sing thy 'eart out. Ah love doin' that. No need to 'old back or anythin' like that." Melody smiled at Dana happily, adding, "Ah've ambitions o' becoming a proper singer, actually. Like t'Weird Sisters an' all. Ah'd 'ope to 'ave a good voice fer that - though Ah'm not at all sure it's arbitrary. Ah'd be mortified if Ah could not keep in tune though. Tune an' rhythm is what matters t'most fer me. Ah think tone o' voice is probably a personal preference fer everyone."

Melody looked in astonishment at Dana as the older girl told her she didn't like chocolate. Melody was never allowed much chocolate at home but she really relished it when she did get to eat it. Though white chocolate wasn't her favourite. "Ee... well to each their own Ah suppose," was all she said as she leaned out of the open Owlery window, propping her elbows on the windowsill, and watched as the homeward bound owl disappeared as a dot into the distance. She sighed slightly before emerging back into the room full of its birds and walking over to where Dana was standing, looking longingly at the owl perched on the Ravenclaw's arm as the other girl talked about words that she liked. She wanted to reach out and touch but there was something in its dignity which prevented it. Besides, it wasn't her bird.

"Nosh is good fer sayin' wit' a mouthful of food," Melody told Dana, before grinning a little sheepishly at the fact it hadn't been the most refined of thoughts. "Well, not if thoo spray everythin' on the 'sh' part but..." Melody looked away and pondered for a while, before saying directly to her friend, "Ah should jus' keep diggin' me own social grave, eh? Not too much further to go..." Melody put her hands together as though holding a spade and imitated digging, right down to the pushing it down with her foot. She was a keen gardener at home. If she had to help out around the house, she'd much rather do that than the grocery shopping or laying the table. The scene catching her eye, Melody looked out at the skies, thick as they were with an every increasing flurry of snow and commented, "Actually, Ah'd do better shovellin' our way out of 'ere. That door's going to get blocked soon if it carries on at this rate."

Melody gave the falling snow one last glance before cleaning (this was an Owlery after all and droppings were present almost everywhere!) and perching down on a nearby block of stone. "An' no, Ah'm no great cricket player," she said. "Well, save fer on t'beach at Scarborough and suchlike, but no... it's mainly a sport fer men, is cricket. No reason why we girls can't play it... in fact we're not as much targets if they're bowling bodyline - thoo 'eard o' that infamous series? - but no, Ah can't say Ah've played much. Ah likes watchin' it though, that Ah does. Just 'aven't played so very much... Ah'm more into me music 'owever much Ah like it." Melody smiled at Dana and reverted her mind to the work she had to get done that day - well, that weekend at any rate - as well as thinking about what Dana had said about her cousin. The hat being called 'old' seemed very strange to her, coming from the family she did where waste was sacrilege - especially since the hat was still perfectly warm and functional (still new in her opinion as well seeing as she tended to keep things for more like five years than three months!) - but she soon dismissed it out of mind as she looked back to Dana with a smile.

[dana]

Dana grinned and nodded acknowledging the fact that Melody wasn’t going to change her way of speaking. It would be a shame if she did. The accent was just so her. It drew your attention to her and it was so sincere and cheery and Dana just liked it. The accent made it seem as if Melody always had good news she wanted to share. And who didn’t like good news? “Why learn to speak the Queen’s English? Maybe the queen should rather learn to speak yours? The ruler has to come to the queen not expect a couple of million of people to line after her,” Dana responded easily even if she let the talk about the accent go otherwise. Dana gave a small satisfied smile hearing Melody talking about her music. The Christmas Present Dana had picked out for her might just be what the younger girl wished.
“I’m afraid that the only thing I use my lungs for is for breathing and making sure I don’t run out of air while I chatter someone’s ear off,” Dana admitted honestly, “But I like listening to music. Listening to people sing. Professionals are all good, but you know that sometimes I rather listen to kids – about 4 or 5 year olds – singing. They might miss the tune sometimes, but I like the way they give all of themselves to the song.”

Dana tilted her head and closed one eye measuring Melody for a moment: “You have a good voice and not bad looking either, so why not? I’m sure you’ll become more popular than Weird Sisters ever have been. But you have to promise me you’ll help me get back-stage tickets and I want every single you ever give out with an autograph so that I can brag to the rest of the world about it. Maybe you want to give me an autograph right now too?” Noticing the longing look in Melody’s eyes as she looked at Dorian Dana walked over to the stone she chose to sit on raising her arms lightly as she crouched down stroking Dorian’s head as the eagle owl closed his eyes in pleasure. “Have I ever introduced Dorian to you? He’s rather friendly. Trustworthy with my mail and strong, but friendly.”

Laughing at Melody’s act Dana seated herself on the edge of some old chair after Dorian had taken flight form her arm again: “No digging graves. People who can’t follow you are just not fashionable nor smart enough. So it would be their social grave either. Besides I like you and there’s no one else, so who cares? Or maybe we are just both lacking social skills. But is there any type of music you tend to like? Some style like jazz or pop or rock or dance-music or whatever really? Or some favourite song or do you write your own songs – lyrics and melody both.”

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody smiled at Dana but likewise said nothing more about accents, allowing a small silence to fall between them. It didn't seem like an awkward silence and she smiled again at Dana, feeling glad that she had no need to worry about talking with her. She could talk when she liked, and as much as she liked. Melody probably talked a bit too much for some people, but Dana didn't seem to mind. "Ah've nothin' 'gainst our Queen, actually," she said. "Jus' wish she'd smile a little more sometimes. Ah'm sure it's possible to 'ave a lot more fun bein' Queen than she allows 'erself. Ah don't think it'd agree with me, would 'affing to be so proper an' restrained. No, wouldn't agree wit' me at all, would that." She nodded to add emphasis to what she'd just said, her bunches bobbing beside her as well. Melody looked from side to side but she couldn't see them. They kept on moving with her head as well and whacking her cheek. She pulled both out at the same time, reaching up with both hands, and shook her hair out so it fell down to its true length as she put the bobbles round her wrist. The long hair tended to annoy her and get in her way as well, but taking it out had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Thoo dunnot sing thyself?" Melody asked. "Whyever not? It's fun if thoo'll give it thy all. An' anyone can sing... 'owever they sing it's still singin'. 'S long 's thoo're enjoying it... Ah prefer to sing in tune but some people dunnot appreciate it whether it's in tune or not, so no worry there, eh?" Melody smiled at Dana, her eyes lighting up in delight as the Ravenclaw brought her owl over. She hesitated still but reached out and stroked Dorian's head in the same place Dana had chosen, using her fingertips only and still feeling a little timid. Dana had said the owl was friendly but Melody didn't want it to take a disliking to her for any reason nontheless. "Ah've allus wanted an owl," Melody confided. "Not going to 'appen though. We've only to 'ave one pet, and at any rate, Ah dunnot think Boris'd be so partial to an owl. Ah'm very fond o' Boris... 'e's me cat. Rather big ginger tom cat, is Boris."

Melody laughed at Dana's suggesting she give her an autograph. "Nay, Ah think that might be a wee bit premature," she said. "Thoo're welcome to it if thoo'll 'ave it, but Ah dunnot think Ah even 'ave a signature yet. No, Ah tends to just write me name. Ah dunnot understand 'ow anyone manages to do anything else, actually. Ah either write it normally or Ah scribble it so's it's illegible, but neither looks particularly sophisticated." Melody gave a little shrug and stood up again, glancing at the falling snow once more. "We'll not get out o' 'ere until summer comes if we dunnot go soon," she said, starting to tug the door open. Her speech became more and more fragmented as she put in extra effort.
"An' Ah like most types o' music, really. Ah'll listen to pretty much anythin'. What Ah like playin' depends on instrument... fer piano jazz is me favourite, flute probably wee melodies but baroque dance music is fun too... me guitar is usually reserved fer rock and Ah'll sing... ah!" she broke off as the door finally yielded to her pulling and she was flung backwards, having to take a few hasty steps so as to keep her balance. She wobbled forward for a moment (a few disgruntled owls settled a little further away) but it was soon regained and she looked at Dana with a grin. "Ah'll sing pretty much whatever takes me fancy!" she finished triumphantly.

[dana]

Dana turned her head and nodded. She was born in France so in all reality she wasn’t one of the faithful servants of the Queen despite living in the United Kingdom for the better part of the years and for the better part of her life too for that matter. “I do admire the Queen, even though I’m not born English. But really now, who wouldn’t admire her? She is a mighty spectacular lady and she has done a lot of good for England. I’m not sure I even imagine how much work the Queen constantly has to do so I do think I wouldn’t be able to keep my cool head either. Then again I’m far from being in threat of becoming a Queen or a princess even, aren’t I? But I’m perfectly happy at just saluting to the royalties when they pass by.” Dana found her eyes being rather constantly drawn to Melody’s bobble. She couldn’t help it! their bouncing was almost hypnotically addictive! And amusing too actually. Dana didn’t comment when Melody removed her bobbles though.

“No, must admit that I don’t sing. I don’t have much of a voice to do so. Not to consider my accent I had a vocal chords infection when I was five. My own fault for getting it actually. I had just came from hot sauna so my hair was wet and noticing that it had started snowing outside I just had to rush out there barefoot and wearing only a T-shirt to dance among the snowflakes. Add the coldness of the ice-cream I was currently eating and the outcome of such an adventure - no matter how brief - is rather obvious. While I’m not one for holding a tune perfectly anyway, after that occasion singing did become rather straining for my vocal chords as well so I usually prefer to just hum soundlessly or enjoy others making music,” Dana told Melody with a grin her arms drawing rather wide gestures in the air to accompany her words. Dana even added a twirl when she talked about dancing with the snow-flakes. While not much of a singer Dana simply adored dancing and would rarely miss an option to dance. Even if it meant twirling by herself in the middle of a school owlery.

Dana smiled watching as Melody stroked Dorian’s head with a serious face as if she didn’t want to do anything wrong. Dana chuckled lightly at this while observing calmly as Dorian closed her eyes and hooted softly from pleasure that Melody’s finger-tips were obviously applying on his head. Dorian was quite a friendly chap anyway so Dana wasn’t worried that the owl would harm Melody in any way. Poking the owl gently with her finger-tip Dana made Dorian step onto Melody’s shoulder. The eagle-owl was rather heavy so Dana was rather grateful to have him step off her arm too. “Who knows, maybe one day you could get an owl,” Dana commented with a small smile storing the information away for future references. Pulling a grimace Dana followed Melody to the Owlery door much slower while whining, “Do we have to? It’s nice and warm here. We might get a little bit hungry but I’m sure the owls wouldn’t mind bringing us something to eat to here from the kitchen’s? I don’t wanna move!”

Dana grinned a little as Melody talked in lengths about her autograph. Dana merely shrugged at it: “It will come to you sooner or later. Took me quite a while before I finally learned how to give a nice-enough signature.” Dana gaped and reached out a hand to help Melody steady herself even though the gesture wasn’t needed. The younger girl had managed to balance herself already making Dana smile at her while listening to her speaking about music. “It’s good to be so passionate about something as you are about music. I like to listen to different styles as to what I listen to depends on my mood. I tend to listen to either hot and quick rock when I study as I somehow end up studying in rhythm to the music then or either listen to an Estonian band called Smilers. I don’t know if you have heard of them or not, but they have rather good tunes and the words aren’t bad either.”


((Couldn't help myself. But I do ADORE Smilers! ;D))