blocked roadway ((Julie))

[Rosaliz Hernandez G6]

Rosaliz was exhausted. Her night at her aunts and the fact that she had not slept in over twenty-four hours had worn her to her last nerve. Reality blurred. The facts of the previous evening… sneaking out of the castle fighting off her aunt…It seemed too improbable… it seemed too impossible to believe that it could be real. Yet what was happening now here in the Three Broomsticks, it seemed equally false. ..It was filled with other students walking around and talking with loud voices that seemed to echoe through her mind painfully. All in all it had become almost painful for her to sit and that place as whenever she tried to think she would get a headache from all the noise.

A distraction, that was what she needed. A big, huge, monstrous distraction to take her mind off of everything that had been running through it lately. Lately, or more specifically after she'd been attacked during her last year at Hogwarts, Rosaliz had been skeptical of everything. Every time she went somewhere, she couldn't help but wonder if the person she was standing next too was waiting to pounce at the chance to cause her the worst pain imaginable. Paranoia followed her no matter where she went. She had left hogwarts for a distraction; Either way, she wanted to rest and had a hard time figuring out whether or not she should go home and come back to hogwarts next year, staying back a year or to stay here in Hogsmeade and throw herself in the presence of other people. In which she hadn't been in her best "looks" lately. It didn't matter people had seen worse. Her breathing quickened and she could hear her heart pounding away in her ears...

She tried slowing her breathing to no avail and momentarily her mind wandered off. Was she just a freak who couldn't deal with what could be considered a mere scratch in the wizarding world, the only world she thought she knew and understood? Was it true. Was she actually turning weak? Did her aunt finally made her into the vulnerable state that she had been waiting for? Was she crashing, and wasn't going to be able to go back to her normal life? Will all her friends just end up like strangers? Nobody would know her anymore and she would be left alone to suffer?.... About five hours age all her goals had been simple: keep herself , lead herself out of danger, find herself a healer. All her troubles would be solved. She realized that she didn’t know what her goals were or what they should have been. "Focus for a sec, Rosaliz" she thought. Rosaliz flinched, her hand tightening on a wand that wasn’t there any longer. Where was her wand? She remembered she had left it in her dorm. She wasn’t going to take a risk on taking it with her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to control her emotions at that very moment. Her thoughts were inconsistent.

“I’m not hurt,” Rosaliz insisted, for perhaps the hundredth time. The pain from her cuts and bruises had become background. Even the throbbing from the deep gashes in her legs failed to register as something she should worry about. She was light-headed both from blood-loss and lack of sleep, not to mention being thrown about from spell fire but that was nothing in comparison to what she’d seen. “I’m not hurt,” she insisted and she lifted a weak hand against her head fussing. “I’m not the one…” But even her protests were tired and unfocused She lifted her good hand as if to stroke her cheek, but drew it back when she realized just how filthy and stained with dried blood her fingers were. She stared at her hand, wondering where all the blood had come from, not realizing how many cuts that she still had.


((sorry it's so short))

[Julie Paige McGreggor]

Julie McGreggor searched frantically through her paint drawers. Forest Green was a key color for Julie’s painting, and she couldn’t find even the smallest drop of it anywhere. Julie supposed that was what she got for leaving it out on the table during her intermediate class. Julie really loved those kids, but they used up more paint than you could ever imagine. She didn’t know what happened to all of it. She searched through her greens drawer, but didn’t give up hope when she didn’t find her color there. Amongst the many shades of green paints, there were quite a few other colors as well. Julie had never really been one for organization. She checked the red drawer, the blue, and even the brown drawer. She checked everywhere, but nowhere did she see her forest green. How the hell was she supposed to paint an evergreen tree with no forest green? That was the main color in the painting! She couldn’t possibly complete it without that color. And this painting was supposed to be sent to an auction house tomorrow morning, so she absolutely needed to finish it tonight. It wasn’t like Julie had much to go or anything, in fact, to the common person, the painting looked completed. But, Julie really wasn’t trying to sell her paintings to normal, everyday people. She was trying to sell it to art historians and rich stuck up business owners who knew everything and everything there was to know about art.

Finally realizing there was absolutely no forest green in her house, Julie decided she’d have to go over to Hogsmeade to pick up her color. It was rather late, but if Julie rushed, she’d probably make it there while Freddie was closing shop. And with that thought, Julie grabbed her coat and apparated out of her home. She hadn’t bothered to change. She was still wearing that oversized button-down paint splattered shirt and old pair of faded ripped jeans that she had been wearing during her last class. She rushed down the Hogsmeade streets passed the Three Broomsticks and entered “Freddie’s Art” just as he was shutting off the lights.

“Hey, Fred. Listen, I really really need me some oil paint. It’s an emergency. Please tell me you have forest green!’ Julie pleaded. Julie went to Freddie’s for all her supplies. The old man was pretty much the only adult that Julie had ever respected during her years at school. She had been coming to him ever since her first year, when she had been in desperate need of a sketchbook. Now that Julie had her class, she brought Freddie really good business. She probably had to go down to Hogsmeade for supplies once every two weeks. “You’re lucky I wasn’t leaving early, Jules. Here, you’re one lucky girl. This is my last one. That particular color has been selling like crazy. Pay me back next time. I don’t feel like opening the register now.” He said with a wink. She smiled and hugged the old man. Freddie was just like a grandpa to Julie. He kept joking about how his time on earth was almost up, but Julie knew deep down his time was coming soon, and she didn’t know if she was ready to lose her old friend. “Oh, thanks Freddie! You’re the best!” She took her tube of paint and walked over to the Three Broomsticks. It was probably about six in the evening already, so most of the Hogwarts students had cleared out to go back to the castle. She looked around for Carson, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Julie wasn’t really surprised. After the death of his best-friend Ethan, Carson probably didn’t want to set foot in a place with as many memories as the Three Broomsticks. She sighed, when suddenly, something caught her eye.

A girl that couldn’t be any more than fifteen years old walked into the Three Broomsticks, murmuring to herself. She had cuts, scratches and bruises all over. Unlike the many other students that were headed back to the school, the young girl just sat there, muttering words Julie couldn’t understand. Julie observed the girl with an expression of complete worry and sympathy toward the girl. She looked just like a lost puppy that had been kicked perhaps one too many times. She sighed, thinking maybe she should go over there and talk to the girl. Maybe it would help? Julie swallowed hard.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit here? I figured you might want some company.” She pulled up a chair across from the young girl, who was now stroking her freshly cut cheek. It seemed these injuries were not old. It was almost like they had happened within the last day or so. Just looking at the girl, Julie had a terrible feeling she knew who had done this to her. She tried to wave the thought away as she introduced herself. “I’m Julie McGreggor. I used to go to school at Hogwarts. Graduated as a Huffle. You might know my brother, Carson? He’s a fifth year now I think.” She said kindly. Julie never believed in talking down to teenagers like most adults did. Back in her teen years, she hated when people talk to her as if she was some ignorant child or a stupid girl. She believed teenagers should be treated with the same respect as any adult would be. She smiled kindly at the girl, realizing she probably seemed a bit creepy approaching a random stranger in a pub. She shrugged the thought off.