Solitude((Anyone))

[Williard Thoth R4]

After absent mindedly walking around the castle just to past time, Williard looked up startled to find himself standing in front of the entrance to the common room, and hearing the bronze eagle speak.

"The following sentence is false. The preceding sentence is true. Are these sentences true or false?"

Williard was in no mood to answer a riddle, but seeing now as he newly longed to sit by the fire, he closed his eyes and thought about the riddle. The following sentence is false. The preceding sentence is true. Williard sighed and then answered, "Neither, its a paradox. If the first is true, then the second must be false, which makes the first false." Williard opened his eyes.

"Beautifully answered." replied the eagle, and the common room door opened.

No one was here, so Williard was able to get a rather comfortable seat by the fireplace. Just then, he heard a strange noise, and turned around to see Jeremy, his cat, licking his front paw.

"Come here." Williard said turning back to stare at the fire. Jeremy was in his lap so fast, he could've sworn the cat apparated.

Williard didn't know what was troubling him. He didn't know what to feel. He just felt like he was here. Just using up space. Like he didn't really matter. He hadn't really met to many people. It didn't bother him too much though. Williard loved solitude. He thought it necessary just to stay in touch with yourself. But really, how much solitude did he need?

[Angel Sheridan R6]

Angel lay in her four-poster bed wide awake, unable to move. She just lay there, staring off into space. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was sopping wet from the heavy flow of tears that had fallen down her pale cheeks just moments before. How did she not see this coming? Why did she have to open her big mouth? Angel sighed heavily as she rose from her bed slowly. She opened the curtains and blinked a few times at the sudden flow of light. No one else was in Angel’s dorm room, as they were all probably at Hogsmeade or preparing for big bonfire night at Hogwarts the following day. The room was dark and all the curtains were shut tight, so up until recently, the room was very dark. Angel yawned as she walked over to the mirror. Her hair was a mess; her makeup was running down her face, mixing in with her tears. She sighed as she wiped the mess off her face, trying not to think about what had just happened. It was no use. The loud heated conversation was ringing in her ears, as if she was experiencing it all over again.

”Carson…about that thing I wanted to tell you..well it’s not a ‘thing’, it’s more like a person.” Said Angel hesitantly at breakfast. Carson swallowed his food and looked at Angel, as if wondering what she would say. He obviously knew something bad was coming, as Angel had hinted it many times prior. “Well umm, I got a letter from someone the other day.” She said, unable to look Carson in the eye. Suddenly, a thought came to her. Carson would surely blow up when he found out, and it wouldn’t matter to him that there were about a thousand other people in that room. She pulled him into an empty classroom nearby and then continued to speak. “Angel! Just tell me already! Who contacted you?” Carson said impatiently. “Well, I got a letter from Hanson the other day. Apparently, his cousin is a witch and he found out that I was one too. I went to go meet him last weekend.” She said rather quickly. “WHAT?” Carson yelled, and Angel could have sworn his face was turning red as his anger levels rose. “WHY? WHY DID YOU GO? WHY DID’T YOU TELL ME? DON’T YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME HE WAS AROUND YOU? I CAN’T KEEP RESCUING YOU LIKE THAT! WHAT IF HE TRIED SOMETHING?” Carson said angrily. Angel shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was defending Hanson, after all the horrible things he did to Angel and Carson over the years. “Oh but he’s changed so much! And I took Andrew with me, just in case! I’m a smart girl, Carson.” Angel said sternly. “THAT DOESN’T EXCUSE YOU FROM GOING OFF RIGHT INTO THE LION’S DEN! DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE TRIED TO DO TO ME? BETTER YET, DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE TRIED TO DO TO YOU?”

Angel shook her head, trying to forget. She checked herself in the mirror once more. With a few simple spells, no one could possibly tell she had been crying. Angel tied her hair in a tight ponytail as she picked up a small stack of papers from her bedside table. She had recently introduced a new program to the school called the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization (Or BBBS for short). She figured that there were so many families like hers, who were pretty much led by unstable horrible examples like her step-brother Andrew. The small children of Hogwarts needed good examples to follow, just in case they didn’t have any sufficient ones at home. Angel walked out of her dorm and into the Ravenclaw common room. There was almost no one there, so Angel took a seat across from the fire and began shuffling through the surveys. She smiled to herself. The club was gaining popularity very quickly. She had only put up flyers for the club a day or so ago with Jami, and she already had a bunch of students lining up to join. But that just left the simple task of pairing them all. Angel sighed as she read through a first year’s survey.

“Very strong minded, enjoys sports, good at Potions…”Angel mumbled to herself as she searched through the pile for an older student’s survey.

“Nah, they wouldn’t work well together.” Angel mumbled again. She did tend to talk to herself a lot. Some said it was the first sign of craziness, but Angel found it was just an easy way to organize all the thoughts that were whirling in her head.

[Williard Thoth R4]

Williard slowly opened his eyes from what felt like a deep, dreamless sleep as if someone had given him the Draught of Living Death. His head slightly hurt, and his body was so still and numb that for a second, he thought he wasn't real. Without moving his head, he looked down and saw Jeremy silently resting on his lap, but couldn't feel him. He heard someone talking. Mumbling rather.

“Very strong minded, enjoys sports, good at Potions…”

I don't enjoy sports, Williard thought as he closed his eyes. He didn't know what was happening.

“Nah, they wouldn’t work well together.”

It was a girls voice. Well, not a girl exactly. She sounded a bit older. Williard felt his face frown. With what felt like took all the energy in the world, he sat up, careful not to disturb his cat, and looked over to see a girl with brown hair tied into a ponytail, going through a small stack of papers. She was definantly a good ways older than him. She didn't appear to notice Williard sitting in the chair near her. Unsure of what to do, Williard settled back down into the chair.

If he stood up and just walked off, he would look like some weirdo first year. But, he didn't want to say anything to her because he didn't know how she would react. Well, Williard thought, things had turned out alright when he talked to Skyler and Elizabeth. So what was he so afraid of. So, carefully sliding his hand under Jeremy's warm stomach and gently lifting him, he sat up and turned to the girl.

"Um, hello."

[Angel Sheridan R6]

Angel twirled her light brown hair around her finger as she read through a fifth year's application. Her original hair color was dark brown, but she figured the lighter shade brought out her eyes a bit more. She read through the application quickly, and decided this student wasn't right for the young first year Slytherin boy. She searched through the pile for another student. She saw a few fifth years, but most were Gryffindors. No, that wouldn’t work. Gryffindors and Slytherins were definitely not a good mix. Angel liked being a part of Big Brothers Big Sisters. It gave her an outlet to her problems. The program let her focus on things other than her complicated dramatic life and her deranged family. It kept her working hard all the time, so she didn’t have the time to rest and let her mind wander to thoughts she didn’t want to think. Like Hanson. Angel shook her head, as if a tiny version of Hanson was hanging on to her ponytail and she was trying to flick him off her head.

She almost laughed at the thought of a small Hanson. She rolled her eyes, trying to forget. When she had gone to see him at Hogsmeade’s Three Broomsticks pub, he seemed so different, almost like a changed man. But that didn’t change anything. Hanson was eighteen, almost nineteen years old. Even if he wasn’t Hanson Fitson, he was still too old for her. He was of age, as in considered an adult in both the muggle world and the magical world. He wasn’t right for Angel, and that was final. No matter how hard he tried, Angelie Sheridan was not going to ever go out with someone like Hanson. Carson had nothing to worry about. But he did seem very charming. He definitely wasn’t the same Hanson that had been so nasty and mean so many years ago. Angel shook her head again, as if trying to flick off the imaginary tiny little Hanson.

Suddenly, she heard a sound, making Angel jump. She looked up from her small stack of papers and noticed a small first year boy in her house of course (why else would he be in the Ravenclaw common room?) who had a rather adorable looking cat on his lap. Angel smiled. “Hello, there. I have to say, you surprised me quite some bit. I didn’t know anyone else was here. I’m Angel by the way. Angel Sheridan.” She said kindly. Angel was always known as a very kind and loving person, especially to the younger students. She could be strict and mean when she wanted to, but normally only if someone had challenged her to act as such. She didn’t like being mean to people, but Angel didn’t like being pushed around either. She stood up for herself when she needed to. She smiled warmly at the young boy. “That’s an awfully cute cat you’ve got there. What’s his name?” She said, looking down at the fuzzy cat. She didn’t have a cat, but she did have Liberty. Liberty was Angel’s owl. She wanted a cat, but she supposed owls were more useful then cats were. Cats were fun and friendly and made really good pets, but alas, they could not fly across the country so Angel could keep in touch with her family. So, Angel had Liberty the owl, and she was happy with her.

[Williard Thoth R4]

“Hello, there. I have to say, you surprised me quite some bit. I didn’t know anyone else was here. I’m Angel by the way. Angel Sheridan.”

Williard sat up a little straighter and laid Jeremy back down in his lap. Angel was acting nothing like Williard thought the older students did torwards the younger ones. She was....smiling, and being...courteous, and....well...polite.

Snapping back, he realized he needed to say something back. He was so taken by her pleasant response to him, he was slightly flustered. "I'm Williard. Ah, Williard Thoth." he said trying to return the warm smile she was giving him. Angel looked down slightly. He followed her gaze, and saw that it was settled on Jeremy.

“That’s an awfully cute cat you’ve got there. What’s his name?”

"Oh, um, his name's Jeremy. And, thank you. For the compliment I mean. Well, Jeremy should be the one thanking you but seeing how he's a cat and can't talk, and probably doesn't even know that you've given him a compliment--"

Williard stopped talking there. He didn't even know what he was saying. In an attempt to gloss over the slight ramble, he turned his attention to the papers she was holding.

"Can I ask what your doing?" Williard bit his bottom lip in embarassment, and felt the heat rise in his neck. Of all the questions he could've asked her, he asks her what she was doing, like one of those annoying younger siblings he read about in books who just wanted to annoy and bother their big brothers or sisters by asking them five thousand questions.

Here he was doing it again. Being overly analitcal and overly assesing a rather simple situation. He was God-awful at socializing and he knew it. But hadn't earlier experiences showed him to just be yourself? But that was different. Skyler and Elizabeth were both in his year. They were experiencing the same emotions and challenges he was. Well, Angel must have been through this to. She was obviously in a much higher year than Williard.

He took a deep breath, and replaced his smile on his face. Just calm down and be yourself, he thought. It's not that deep, just relax.

[Angel Sheridan R6]

Angel smiled a bit as she took note of the boy’s surprise at Angel’s kindness. Angel couldn’t help it. She was in every way possible, a nice girl. She was nothing like most of her sixth year classmates who bossed little children around and scared them often. No, Angel wasn’t like that at all. She remembered what it was like going to Hogwarts in her first year here. She was confused, scared, and astonished at the entire goings on at Hogwarts. She didn’t know her way around, nor did she really know how things were done in the magical world. Her father was a pureblood, but her mother was a muggle. Seeing as before she died, Angel had spent a lot of time with her mother, she had picked up on the muggle traditions rather than her father’s magical traditions. However, Angel was always eager to learn new things, probably like this young boy here. Yes, she knew she wouldn’t like it if some older student had bullied her around or something, so Angel tried hard not to treat others that way. She tried not to laugh as the boy rambled about his cat, Jeremy. Yes, this little boy reminded her a lot of herself when she was a first year. She tended to ramble on about nothing in particular, stopping only to breathe in air. Her lips ran faster than a motor boat sometimes.

“Oh, no problem, Willard. Jeremy is absolutely adorable.” She said lovingly to the Willard, who had picked Jeremy up and onto his lap again. She glanced down at the small stack of papers and looked up again at the first year, not letting her smile die down. Willard asked what it was she was doing. Secretly, Angel had been wishing he’d ask that. She was so willing to stay part of this conversation. Looking through the surveys and supplications was a bit boring, and with boredom came many wandering thoughts. Angel didn’t want her thoughts to wander into places she didn’t want them in. She did not want to think about Hanson Fitson. She had to try to distract herself for as long as she possibly could, and this small friendly conversation was going to help her do that.

“Oh, these are applications for a program I’m running. Well, a program that me and four other students are running. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. All first and second years are required to join, so you must have gotten some kind of notice. If not…well then, now you know.” She said friendlily. She thought this little boy looked a bit too tense for his age. She shrugged off the thought. Maybe he was just one of those constantly nervous people. Hmm, maybe this whole ‘distracting’ thing was working after all. Angel hadn’t thought about Hanson for a full two minutes. What an accomplishment.

[Williard Thoth R4]

All first and second years are required to join, Williard thought. "Oh, you mean The Big Brothers Big Sisters thing? Yeah I know what that is. I signed up for it a few days ago. How's that coming by the way?"

It felt as though all nervousness had left him. Williard was really excited about the whole BBBS program. He thought it was a great idea. He couldn't wait to have someone older and more experienced to talk to. He had so many questions and concerns about so many different things. Guidance was definantly welcomed with open arms. Having someone older around to talk to at times he felt lost, like now, would be great.

[Angel Sheridan R6]

Angel smiled as Willard sat up in his chair and asked about Big Brothers Big Sisters. She had been dying to talk about something for ages. She needed to get her mind off things. She needed a break, that was for sure. What Angel wouldn’t give for a quick vacation right about now. Even if it was only for a day or two, Angel didn’t mind. It wouldn’t matter much to Angel. After all, any relaxation time at all would help. These days, Angel barely had a chance to sit down and rest, let alone take a break. She simply had far too much to do and too many things to see. She had her academics to worry about, which was most important to Angel right now. She needed to get the best grade possible on her NEWTS exams so she could get a decent job while she was training with her coach for the Winter Olympics and looking for scholarships into a good muggle university. She had one in mind, but she was almost positive her father and step-mother would not allow it. There was a wonderful college in Sweden that accepted only the best figure and hockey skaters around the world. It was a small school, but it was one of the most respected. Angel needed the NEWTS to achieve her goals.

Then there was the figure skating training itself. Angel found herself traveling to the room of requirement at least four times a week for hours at a time practicing her routine so she wouldn’t have to train so hard when she returned to London for the Winter Holidays. She still hasn’t landed most of the moves she had been aiming to, but with a bit more practice, Angel was almost positive she would have her routine ready for her coach by Christmas break. And as if that wasn’t enough, Angel had the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to deal with. It wasn’t that Angel was complaining, because she wasn’t. Angel loved the BBBS. It was just that the program tended to put a lot of pressure on Angel, and it seemed to be making Angel add more things onto her to-do list every single day. Angel had to deal with making sure every single student had replied to Angel’s letter, whether they wanted to join or not. She had to track down all those who haven’t gotten back to her yet, and the castle was very large, so that was a very difficult task. When she had all the surveys done, she had to organize a meeting with the rest of the committee to pair up every student in the school. Then when that was done, she had to help oversee everything and organize those blasted gatherings that took place once a month. But, Angel wasn’t complaining. She was simply overworked. She was simply very, very overworked.

That wasn’t even the half of it. Aside from school, skating, and Big Brothers Big Sisters, Angel had to deal with Hanson, who she had agreed to see once every other week at Hogsmeade. No, she didn’t even want to think about Hanson right now. Angel imagined herself grabbing an eraser and erasing Hanson’s image from her mind. The technique worked, but Angel knew it was only temporary. Trying to get her mind off such things, Angel turned to Willard and smiled. “Well, we’re inching along slowly, but I think we’ll have everything under control in a week or so. I was just trying to sort out some surveys and pair a few students up. It’s proved to be rather difficult, as we seem to have more older students than younger ones, but I think we’ll manage. I remember reading your survey actually. You were one of the first to be paired.”Angel said, flipping through the small stack of papers. Then, she found it. Yes, Willard had been paired already. She smiled as she averted her gaze on the paper and stared off into space next to the roaring fire. “So how’s Hogwarts been so far? I remember I was so confused during my first year. But I’ve come to think of this big castle as my second home by now. I’m sure you’ll soon learn how to navigate this place with a blindfold on. I’m sure I could.’

((OOC: I know I said I wanted to end this one, but Angel really needs posts right now, so I decided it would be smart to keep this one open for a while longer if that's okay.))

[Williard Thoth R4]

Williard was thrilled to hear he had already been paired, and thought about asking Angel exactly who he had been paired with, but decided he would just let it be a surprise. It was nice to hear that the BBBS was moving along. He wished he could help, but wasn't sure exactly what he could do.

Williard listened as Angel asked him about Hogwarts, and then offered him a little reassurance about finding his way around.
This time, he sat Jeremy on the Common Room floor and turned to her completely.

"Hogwarts has been alright. Im pretty good with getting around the castle. Its just the getting to know people part thats a bit of a bother, but, I guess Im learning. Ive made two friends so far. They're really cool."

Williard couldn't help but smile. He wished, for a second, that Angel could be his BS, but if she was, she would've said something when she looked through his survey right? He looked down to see Jeremy siiting right at Angel's feet. He didn't know what he was doing, but Jeremy was a pretty good cat, and well behaved so he wasn't worried much.