A Quiet Day, Perhaps? ((Lori))

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

In the early hours of the morning, Valmer woke up to the sound of silence. A normal sound for 9am, but all the same, he was used to waking up to students outside his window who had classes earlier. As he made his way out of bed, he peered out the window, squinting his eyes at the almost blinding morning light. It had been quite chilly the evening before, so he had to wipe the glass free of frost. He took notice that there were still people out this early, but not as many as usual. Valmer wondered why the castle was a less occupied on this day, but quickly brushed the thought from his mind. He had classes later, and he wanted to make his way to Hogsmeade to check his mail and get some errands done in the nearby village.

He dressed, quickly at first, thinking he had only a few hours to get everything done. Then he remembered that he didn't have class for another five hours, therefore he could slow things down a bit. Being a Slytherin, however, did not come without its habits of getting things done in an orderly manner, or without its frustrations. His room had been a mess, and getting it into decent living conditions was hard enough as it was. He picked up around himself, and got the rest of his clothes in order, and made his way to the village.

Walking briskly (for it had not warmed up much from last night), he thought of the many people who he assumed were probably down in Hogsmeade. Yeah, that's probably where everyone is. It's probably just a heavy mail day. But the thought didn't satisfy his curious brain. He hoped he might run into someone on the way down who had the same question he did. As he continued walking almost to the village, a hard wind began to blow and he shoved his head down further into his jacket. He had to look down to do so, because if he hadn't, he would have seen the girl he bumped into to the side of him. He had been so enthralled in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice her walking next to him, not very far ahead. Valmer quickly looked up, and brought his eyes to the girl's level.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori woke up in the Common Room at the sound of Theo’s voice. “Woa, Theo.” She smiled a bit after she realized where she was. Lori had a Transfiguration Essay due and it took her quite a while. Lori was awful at the subject, actually. She was a bright girl. She just wasn’t gifted in Transfiguration in the least bit. Lori looked to her best-friend as she stood up. Theo pointed to her face and Lori laughed at the red mark she had from falling asleep on a book. She laughed along with him before checking the pink watch on her wrist. She still had a good while before her first class. “Hey. I have to go pick up my new robes in Hogsmeade. Mum ordered me some new ones. I’ll meet you in Transfiguration, k?” Theo nodded. Lori flashed him a smile and then rushed upstairs. She took a deep breath as soon as she left Theo’s sight. She did a lot of that. After all, she was in love with him. Theo was Lori’s best-friend but it was difficult to be around him. That was about the only reason why she hadn’t asked him to go into the village with her. Besides, she could use just a little alone time.

Lori walked through the halls clutching her pink bag. She smiled at everyone that passed, as always. Lori liked to talk to people, but she could be shy at times. That was just the way she was. She was more comfortable around people she knew already than people she didn’t. Like Theo for example. They were practically born best-friends. After all, they shared the same birth-date and the same hospital. Lori could tell him anything or almost anything. She was comfortable around him even though she had such strong feelings. It was complicated even if Theo didn’t know it was. Lori could see people whisper as they walk. She was used to it partly because she and Theo had been the ‘Golden Pair’ for years and partly because people were still talking about Theo being gay. It was news to them after all. A lot of them thought that Theo and Lori would get married so when they found out he was gay. It was a big shock to them. Lori was used to people talking about her and Theo and she liked the attention, but sometimes it was too much attention.

Lori twirled a piece of blonde hair as she walked to Hogsmeade. She was trying not to think about the students that were gossiping about her in the hall. She just didn’t like the attention at the current moment. After all, some things were best kept quiet. Sometimes, Lori did wish that Theo’s gayness wasn’t known by everyone because it affected both of them. Lori knew this was selfish so she tried to forget about it. Lori sighed and tried to focus on something else. She clutched her crème jacket closer to her and pushed her hands in her pockets as she made her way through the icy air. Lori was so focused on getting to the village without freezing that she hadn’t known that someone was walking behind her. She didn’t notice his presence until her bumped into her. Lori gasped a bit as she stumbled a few steps. She maintained her balance and then waited a few seconds so that she could breathe before she turned back to the boy that had bumped into her. She felt the icy coolness on her hands. She then shoved them back into her pocket. “Hey. Umm. I guess we were both in a different world.” She told him. Lori let the icy wind come over her again even though she shivered. “It’s okay though. I don’t bruise easily or anything.” She smiled a tad while letting her shyness shine through only a little bit. Lori looked at the boy and waited for him to say something.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer brought his eyes to the girl's level, and didn't know who she was at first. He might have seen her around the castle before, but judging by her robes, she seemed to be part of Ravenclaw House. He eyed her, trying to figure out why they had ran into each other. He had always heard from his father that when you "bump" into someone, it means something more is going on. Like fate, or God, is telling you, or forcing you to converse with the person. But he had no agenda of a relationship or something more than friendship. Ruby was still on his mind, and he still wasn't sure how that all was going to pan out. He remembered back to that night, holding her in his ar------. There he was daydreaming about her again. He needed to stop that, and soon. Slytherins don't work that way, again something from his father that he had learned.

The girl muttered about how they both must have been in separate worlds, and he knew exactly what that meant. With Ruby flooding his mind at times when he couldn't control it, and the added frustration of picking up his room this morning, it made his brain shoot all over the place. He glanced at her again. "Yes, I guess we were just thinking of where we each needed to go. I'm Valmer, by the way. Where are you headed on this chilly fall morning?" He figured he should introduce himself, as it was only polite. Besides, they hadn't meant to run into each other. He barely knew the girl, much less her name. He was also glad to see that she hadn't fallen, because if she had, he would have been more upset with himself than he already was for the day. He picked up the few stray pencils and book that had fallen out of her bag, and handed them to her, with a slight smile. He waited to hear where she was going.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled a tad as the boy spoke. Actually, her mind had pretty much been on Theo, but she wouldn’t tell the boy that. Lori hadn’t told anyone actually not even Florence much less Theo. It was best that way or so Lori had convinced herself. Lori was trying to think about Theo in a romantic way less and less, but it was a struggle for her. It would just take time to get over him. Lori just wasn’t sure if she had the time to take. Lori thought back to what she had just said. True, her skin didn’t bruise easily, but her heart did that was for sure. Lori’s heart was rather fragile even though she didn’t think of it like that. This was the only time she had actually been broken-hearted and she didn’t feel the need to relive that ever again. Never. It was a sticky situation, but once Lori was over Theo, it was over. They could be best-friends for ever and all would be right with the world? Right. Lori sighed. If only she could think about fairytales. How much simpler they were than reality.

“Yea, I guess.” Lori fibbed again. She was usually rather honest, but not about this. This was the biggest lie that Lori had ever told to people. She was in love with Theo and she was living a lie every time she said otherwise. Lori sighed. Wow was life complicated. Lori smiled as the boy introduced himself as Valmer. “Lori.” She smiled her normal, every-day smile. “Nice to meet you.” She said as always. Lori liked meeting new people. Sometimes, she could be shy, but not always. Sometimes, she could out-going as any other. “My mum ordered me some new robes in Hogsmeade. Plus, I like to get away from the castle every now and then. The walls seem so small sometimes.” She told him, as to say that sometimes she felt a bit trapped even if she didn’t show it. Lori was a pretty easy going person, but she could still feel alone and trapped even with loyal Theo by her side. She just felt that way every now and then. Lori smiled slightly as she took the things from his hands that had fallen out of her bag. “Thanks.” She said placing them in their designated spots in her bag. “And yourself?” She asked about where he was going. “It isn’t often that a student ventures out to Hogsmeade so early unless they have a reason for doing so.” She stated the some-what obvious. Lori felt a gust of wind brush her golden, wavy blonde hair. She couldn’t help but smile and wait for Valmer to respond in some way.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer picked up the last of her things and handed them to her as she thanked him. He wasn't your typical Slytherin. People, friends, even teachers told him that all the time. He was nice and he had a good attitude most of the time. Yet when he got heated, like he had this morning with his stupid room, he had to work on toning it down. But Lori was a nice girl, it seemed. She also seemed to have something else entirely on her mind, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it. At least that's what her eyes said. He had this thing about watching people's eyes. He could tell if it was love, hate, worry, any kind of emotion in their eyes, just by concentrating on them. Hers seemed to be a love of some kind, yet there was caution and depression thrown in as well. He wasn't sure what to make of it, he had never seen eyes like hers before.

She asked where he was off to so early. "Well, I'm up early because I couldn't sleep in. I have some homework to do, and a class in several hours, so I figured I would get up. I wasn't sleeping, and what's the good of laying in bed if you're not sleeping, right?" He chuckled. "I'm on my way to Hogsmeade because I'm checking to see if any mail came, and I also had some robes ordered, but my dad picked them out. He knows just the ones that I like, they're usually the same ones he liked when he was here, in Slytherin. It also seems like quite a quiet day in and around the castle, so I figured I would make my way down to the village to see if that's where everyone is hiding. Did you sense that feeling at all?" he asked inquiringly.

As he waited for her to answer, he also figured they should both be on their way, and they could certainly talk and walk at the same time. He piped up right before she responded, "Would you care to walk with me?"

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled a bit as the wind shook her hair out a little. For once, she wasn’t thinking of Theo. Maybe this was because she was talking to someone other than him for a change. Lori could be pretty social at times, but Theo was her best-friend. She talked with him more than anyone. It was easier to talk to Valmer, or anyone really, and not think of Theo. Maybe that was why Lori was smiling and not thinking about him. Because she was glad to have some company to not think about the boy that she secretly love. But, Lori didn’t think of this herself. She wouldn’t let mind wander there. Lori didn’t even ponder on the fact that Valmer was a Slytherin. She typically didn’t like to stereotype people. Besides, Valmer wasn’t acting like the ‘Slytherin Definition’ that students grouped all Slytherins under. Lori didn’t want to define them all without knowing them. After all, she was often defined as a blonde, pink-loving bimbo. That wasn’t all that Lori Leigh was about and she knew this. So she knew that ‘Slytherin Definition’ wasn’t all that Valmer was about. And she decided to remain in that frame of mind.

Lori smiled a bit. “I do that a lot.” She said referring to just lying awake in her bed. “But, usually when I do that, I’m sort of meditating.” She laughed at her words. “I know it weird, but it calms me down, gets me ready for the day.” Hopefully, Lori wasn’t scaring Valmer off but she rarely had that affect. Lori nodded as Valmer explained why he was going to Hogsmeade. He was the most talkative Slytherin Lori had ever come across, but this wasn’t stereotyping. This was simply comparing the other Slytherins that Lori had talked to with Valmer. Okay, so maybe she was just a little. “Yea, for some reason my mum and I have the same taste in robes as well. Well, we have the same taste in clothes in general. But, not my sister Florence. I think she wouldn’t like it much if we dressed her up in pink.” Lori giggled at the thought. Florence wasn’t tom-boyish or anything like that. She just preferred blue and purple to Lori’s favorite, pink and yellow.

Lori nodded again. “The castle did seem a tad quiet, but I wasn’t paying too much attention. I guess I’m still a bit sleepy.” Maybe that was what it was, but Lori wasn’t sure. She told herself not to think that again, but she couldn’t help it. “Maybe they’re all asleep still.” Lori offered not really sure why the castle seemed so empty. “But, I like the silence sometimes even though some people assume that I only like to laugh and to talk.” She shrugged. Different people thought different things about her. Sometimes, it truly bugged Lori but not all the time really. People were going to talk about her and Theo. Lori knew this and to be honest, she was sort of used to it. “Sure.” Lori said when Valmer asked if she would like to walk with him to Hogsmeade. “To be honest, I get a tad scared when I walk to Hogsmeade only which is very rare. And you don’t seem to be a serial killer so that means you pass the test.” She joked as laughed. Lori then began walking her normal pace as she looked to Valmer for him to respond.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

As Valmer walked next to Lori, he couldn't help but notice the weather. It was a beautiful day, indeed. It didn't matter that it was windy or chilly, it was still a day that he couldn't ask to be better. Lori explained how she tended to meditate in bed, getting ready for the day. "Oh," he said. "That's not weird. I've known some people to do that. I just don't, I can't lay there for that long when things need to get done." He noticed that he had just talked her ear off, about how he wasn't the general Slytherin stereotype, so he decided to curb his speech. He didn't want to scare her off or anything. He was having fun talking with her, and Valmer didn't want it to end any time soon. Lori made mention of how her and her mom had the same taste in clothes, and she compared that to her sister, Florence. "Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of pink. I'm more of a dark colors kind of person, as you can see in my clothes along with my robes," he said as he pointed to the shirt he had on underneath the green Slytherin robes he proudly wore.

Valmer wasn't sure if he bought her thought that maybe everyone was still sleeping. It was an average day, and on any average day, everyone woke up at a regular hour and did their usual routine. He was sure something was up, he just couldn't place what it could be. He chuckled at her. "Yes, you do look a bit tired still. Were you up late studying last night?" he asked. She talked about liking the silence sometimes, and he couldn't agree. "I really cannot stand silence. There needs to be something going on in the background for me a lot of the time. I barely ever get work done in the library, especially if its deserted and quiet. I usually have my wireless with me, though, so I have my music to comfort me."

Valmer followed after Lori, as she said how he passed the test of not being a serial killer. He laughed aloud, replying "Well I'm glad that you see me that way. I certainly don't plan to kill you over some pink robes. I don't think they'd be too fashionable on me, what do you think?" He joked with her, as he walked with her to the nearby village. He hadn't ventured to Hogsmeade that often, but today he was glad he had. Lori seemed to be a great person to get along with. He hoped she wouldn't begin to ask him a million questions, as some girls had done. That bothered him most of the time, especially at times like when he had met up with Ryann Taylor. He gritted his teeth when he thought of the interaction they had had only a few days before. She had automatically put him in the leagues with all the other Slytherins, and he hated the stereotype. The conversation hadn't ended well either, as she had run off. He didn't like it when things ended like that with people, but how could he avoid it, sometimes? Valmer secretly hoped that Lori wouldn't be one of those people. He decided to ask a question. "So what is your favorite thing about Hogwarts? Classes, building, whatnot. I'm just curious."

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled as Valmer said that her meditation habits weren’t weird. “That’s good to here.” She told him. “Really, I’ve never told anyone that I do that.” She shrugged. “It just has never come up before I guess. Even I thought that it was a tad weird.” She laughed. Lori did have some silly habit, but that was just one of them. Lori nodded. “Yea a lot has to be done in a day. I guess that’s why I’ve been getting up extra early this year.” That and so that she could have some time away from Theo without him noticing. Lori loved being near her best-friend, but things were just different. If they were ever to be how they had once been, then Lori needed some time to herself. With time, Lori was hoping things would get back to normal. Until then, Lori had to do what she had to do. “Not a pink fan?” She faked a gasp and then laughed. “I dunno. I’ve always thought that pink was bright and cheery. Dark colors can be pretty, but I guess I like to show people my emotions with my clothes.” Yep, maybe that was weird. Maybe not. Lori wasn’t sure.

Lori nodded. She was tired indeed, but she couldn’t sleep. Nope she had too many things to do. Plus, she had difficultly sleeping really. She had too much to think about. It was hard to clear her had so that she could sleep. “Yea I had Transfigurations easy. I’m so dreadful at the subject that it takes me awhile to write essays for it.” She shrugged. “I’m just glad that I finished it.” Theo helped her a great bit when it came to Transfigurations. Really, if Lori liked it more and tried harder, she would do better. But this wasn’t the case. “Really?” Lori asked as Valmer said that he didn’t like silence. “I guess that I’m around people so often that I need to hear nothing sometimes. I need to be alone sometimes. I dunno..” Yea she did. Her alone time was important but she couldn’t say more about it. She couldn’t give anything away. Lori couldn’t risk it really. She couldn’t risk anything getting to Theo nor could she risk actually admitting that she loved him out loud. It was too hard.

Lori smiled and shook her head. “Nope you look much better than green. I think that pink would clash with your skin tone.” She said smiling. Still, Lori knew a lot about fashion. She loved to glance at the magazine pages. She loved looking at the clothes that she would never wear. Fashion was fascinating to her. Lori eyed the road ahead. They still had a little ways to Hogsmeade. But, she didn’t mind really. She was having fun talking to Valmer. It was surprising to anyone else that the two were talking as they seemed so different. But he seemed to be a nice guy. It didn’t matter that he was in Slytherin at all. Lori knew that he was different. “Hmm,” Lori thought. She smiled finally. “Well, no one knows this but the Astronomy Tower.” She smiled ash she thought. “I like star gazing and the view is so pretty from there. I’m not very good at the subject, but I like gazing on my own really.” She nodded. This was something she had never really talked about. But no one had really asked either. “I like Ancient Ruins and History of Magic even if everyone else in the class is asleep. I just like to learn about past battles and stuff. It’s interesting.” She nodded. “How about you? What are your favorite things about Hogwarts? Let me guess you a Herebology guy.” She joked lightly. She was probably dead wrong, but she was just kidding so it didn’t matter much.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

As they continued walking, Valmer was surprised to hear that Lori had never told anyone about her meditation times. “Well I certainly don’t think it’s weird, as I said. What other habits do you have that no one knows about?” He chuckled as he said this. He also laughed at the fact that she acted surprised that he didn’t like pink. He imitated what she did, messing around of course, and listened to her explain about the colors. “I don’t like to show my emotions with my clothes. I usually show my emotions by telling people. I’ll either yell or something, usually. Of course, if it’s someone I like, I would react differently.” He felt he had needed to explain that, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because he felt he needed justification for why he felt the way he did about something. He wasn’t sure why he felt that need, but he just did.

“Yeah, Transfiguration can get on my nerves too. Actually, essays are usually the worse, especially in classes you really don’t like, you know? And I understand about needing alone time. Most of the time, I’m alone though, but that’s typical for a Slytherin, I guess, right? But aren’t you usually with some guy? I thought every time I’ve seen you, you’ve been with this guy, I can’t remember his name. Is that you, or am I being stupid and thinking of someone else?” Valmer didn’t want to pry, but sometimes his mind got the better of him. When he couldn’t remember something, he needed to figure it out right then and there; otherwise it would bug him to no end. Lori went on, talking about how he would look better in green. “Well I prefer black, actually,” he said, with persistence. “Does that color work for me?” He spun around, showing off. He laughed as he came back around, feeling stupid for doing it. Valmer hoped she wouldn’t think of him as stupid.

“Really?” he said to her favorite place. “I love the Astronomy Tower too. No, I’m not just saying it because you did. I love looking at the stars on clear nights, and looking down at the whole castle. It takes my breath away sometimes. I’ve actually thought about taking my broom up there and jumping off, flying down on my broom, and pulling up just as soon as I’m about to hit the ground. I think it would be exhilarating. Maybe I’ll finally try it next time.” She guessed him to be a herbology guy, and he had to disagree. “No,” he started. “I’m not huge on Herbology. I’m more of a potions kind of person, except that Snape gets on my nerves sometimes. I also, like I said, like the Astronomy Tower, but I’m not very good in the class. I could care less about what they mean and why they’re there, I just like looking at the stars.”

He looked up, and saw they only had about another half a mile to go. “Well looks like our time is almost up. Unless of course, you want me to accompany you on your way into your respective shops. We are going to the same place, for the most part. Or don’t you want to be seen with me, a Slytherin?” He secretly hoped they could spend some more time together. Valmer seemed to be getting along really well with Lori Leigh, and he didn’t want to leave just yet.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled as Valmer said that he didn’t think her habits were weird. Well that was a good thing. Lori had so many friends, actually people that desperately wanted to be her friend. She needed time away from her popularity, time away from Theo. Sometimes, she just needed time. “Hmm I dunno.” She said thinking. “Sometimes I snort when I giggle.” She added. Hmm, maybe she shouldn’t have told him that. Whatever. That wasn’t really a secret though. Anyone she talked to could notice that. Lori nodded. She understood what he meant even if she wasn’t like that. Lori liked to talk, a lot, but she also had her shy streak. People tried to understand who she was but it was hard for them to really understand. After all, peopled loved to gossip about her and her gay best-friend. Lately, Lori didn’t like to tell people how she was feeling because they misinterpreted it and started some ghastly rumor with it. She couldn’t stand it any longer. So, really since Theo had come out, Lori had been quieter, nicer even. She just wanted to be left to her thoughts and her broken-heart.

Lori smiled. “Good to know that I’m not the only one who doesn’t like it.” She said referring to Transfigurations. She would be failing if it wasn’t for Theo. He was always helping her. He was like her protector really. Lori didn’t know what she would do without him. Lori nodded. “Yea, your right. I guess I’m with Theo a lot.” She paused. “Theo Darke. He has been my best-friend forever.” She smiled thinking about it. “We were born on the same day in the same hospital and our parents are best-friends.” Yep. That’s why Lori had thought that she and Theo were destined to be together. Apparently not. Lori laughed and smiled as Valmer spun around. “I think it works for you and I’m never wrong about fashion.” She smiled. Lori loved clothes. She loved shopping in London with Florence and her mum by her side. She loved trying things on in stores. She just did.

“Me too.” Lori smiled as Valmer said that he liked to look at the stars from the Astronomy Tower. “My dad says that I’m a Dreamer, a star-gazer. I guess he’s right, but is that really a bad thing?” She was asking herself more than Valmer really, but she actually wanted to hear what he thought. Lori laughed. “You’re the most talkative Slytherin I’ve ever met.” She smiled. It was a compliment really or at least Lori thought it was. “You should try it. Well, only if your really careful.” She nodded. Lori hated the idea of anyone getting hurt. But she had always wanted to try something as crazy at this. But of course, Theo would stop her before she did anything stupid. Lori nodded. “Yea. I’m not great at Astronomy either. I just gaze as you said. I always try to find new constellations. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s fun.” She shrugged. Most of the things Lori did sounded weird to some people, but to most people they were charming. They were Lori and were who she was. Lori smiled at what Valmer said next. “I don’t care that your in Slytherin. As long as you’re nice to me which you have been, I don’t care who you are.” Lori was positive about people. But sometimes, she was too nice and she let someone truly mean come into her life. She had a way of letting people take advantage of her. Theo always managed to get her out of bad situations, but Lori always found herself back in one. Maybe she was too nice and loving for her own good. But she didn’t care. Valmer seemed nice to her. “Let’s keep going.” She pointed forward as to say that they should go to the shop together. Lori smiled. Valmer seemed like a nice guy. For once, she wasn’t getting herself into a bad situation.