The "smart" choice((August))

[Jake Naito G3]

Jake walked down the lane going through the larger part of town, the snow beneath his feet compacting with a satisfying crunch. it was late now, the sun coming close to its ending in the sky, and Jake knew he had to get back to the castle.
But it was just so peaceful.
he stood there in the middle of the street still, the small crowd of what was had been left of the other students disappearing before his eyes.
It somehow reminded him of the woods.
The breeze began to pick up though, and Jake walked to a nearby bench to sit, trying to keep himself of going back to the school.
As he looked around once again, he thought about his best friend on the "other" side, and pulled out a piece of parchment, the rip from charms still in it, from the note he had tried to write to Timothy, and started to write, saying it out loud as he wrote.
"dear Ruby,
How are things at home? I hope you aren't getting in trouble with those guys from the institute. I don't need any more trouble for fighting. I hope to be home as soon as summer break roles around, but i might need to stay at someone Else's house. Dad still wants me to quit Hogwarts.
Do you think you can ask your mom to see if i can stay for a while? I know she might want some excuse, so tell her my parents can have me at home,
Say they have small pox or something, even though they won't find it funny if the doctors start beating down the door.
Just be careful till i get back OK?
from your best friend,
Jake Naito"
As he wrote he didn't even look up, not seeing any of the people around him.

[August Reid R7]

It was getting late in the day for August to be out at Hogsmeade. He knew that he would soon have to be back. But he didn't want to go back to the castle. Not just yet. The castle was always the same. Boring corridors. Boring stairs. Boring common room. But this was different. This was a town where they were not allowed to go often. This was fresh air. This was different people to talk with. This was life. Not that living at the castle was bad necessarily. But it was unchanging. During the week you went to classes. Other times you studied. Especially in the Ravenclaw Common Room. There was nothing to do but study. Study study study. It made August sick. Luckily he had met Belle who seemed to think very similar to him. There were many a time when both of them snuck off together. They had to avoid the other Ravenclaw or feel the wrath of their glares. It was actually rather funny.

In fact most of the day today was spent with Belle. But she had to leave earlier for a previous engagement. That was fine with August. As much as he liked Belle and enjoyed being in her company, he also enjoyed shopping by himself. With Belle he could go to The Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes Sweetshop but it was not until he was by himself that he could go to where he really wanted to go: Gladrags Wizardwear. He rarely ever bought anything. But it was fun to go into the shop and look at all the new and old clothes and robes. They also had an unusual assortment of socks. August would spend hours upon hours looking at the socks. His favourites included ones where there were fish sewn into them and the fish would swim around the tube of the sock as if they would go somewhere. August wasn't necessarily ashamed that he liked to go into Gladrags Wizardwear. But he always had more fun by himself.

He was walking toward the shop when he heard it. A voice, that started with "Dear Ruby," an odd way to start any conversation. August looked around for the source of the voice and who it was talking to and discovered a boy from Hogwarts talking to himself. It was only when August listened more carefully that he realised that this boy was writing a letter. August admitted to himself that he was noisy and so he pretended that his shoe was untied. He got closer to the bench where the boy say and bent over to re-tie his shoelace all the while listening to what the boy wrote. August discovered that this boy's name was Jake Naito as he said it himself. August found it funny that this boy would talk as he wrote but couldn't blame him. August sometimes found himself talking with himself. After the boy had finished his letter, August stood up and said to him, "Small Pox? That's not very nice to say about your parents. Why would you want to lie about your parents just so you can stay with this girl 'Ruby,' and why did you give them such a boring disease?" August realised that this boy might be a little shocked that August would speak to him all of a sudden and so he quickly added, "Sorry, I couldn't help but hear what you were writing. You were speaking aloud."

[Jake Naito G3]

Jake looked up in surprise, jumping up from the bench, and landing on the other side, the snow under him taking most of the fall. He then quickly got up, saying "oh? i was? i really need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes then..."
He then brushed himself off, the snow on his pants falling to the ground.
When he had finished he looked back up and said "Well, i wanted to stay at my friend's house this summer because my father is a muggle, and he doesn't understand why i want to go to this school, and why I'm a freak... and i can't exactly tell ruby to say the have dragon pox can i?"
He then smiled and pulled out an envelope, and put the parchment inside, adding "I think I'll take this to the owlery when i get back up there..."
As he put the letter back into his bag he quickly pulled out a list and mumbled a few of the items off to himself
" New robe, new quills, a set of new shoes... man, looks like i put a few things off today."
At that point Jake's face started to look confused, and he asked "so what are you doing here right now anyways?"
((ugh!! brain dead right now, sorry))

[August Reid R7]

((OOC: Sorry it took me so long! I've just returned from vacation though))

The boy jumped up with surprise and landed in the snow. August's eyes went wide. He didn't mean to startle the boy. His curiosity had got the better of him and he couldn't resist asking what the boy was talking about. August put out his hand to help the boy from the snow but he seemed not to see it or want it because he got up himself and started to brush the snow from his pants. "Sorry about that," he told the boy sincerely. "I didn't mean to startle you like that. I was just curious as to what you were talking about. I usually don't run across people who talk as they write." August listened to what the boy had to say and was about to retort when the boy seemed to forget that he was with someone else and began talking with himself.

August felt slightly awkward standing on the Hogsmeade street with a boy he barely knew who was talking to himself. August wondered if he should just leave the boy in peace and forget the whole situation when the boy suddenly turned toward him and asked a question with a look of confusion on his face. "Well this is one of the Hogsmeade weekends," August started as if the answer was very obvious. "But I was actually headed toward Gladrags Wizardwear. I love their inventory. I rarely if ever buy anything but I love to look. And since Gladrags is on the way back to the castle, it made sense that that should be my last stop before the day was done." He looked at the boy before him and realised something. "I'm August by the way. August Reid." August held out his hand for the boy to shake.