A Still Drawing ((August))

[Grace Hunter H5]

The sound of passing talking students, the gentle trickling fountain, the small shouts of birds filled the surroundings of that afternoon. The wind, slight and faint, but recognizable nevertheless, seeped over the surrounding rooftops and fell lightly, lazily into the square courtyard. Grace sat at a bench, the suns gentle warmth spilling delicately upon her from its glorious pinnacle in the sky. Reaching to the ground, she retrieved her bag, searching through it for some another pencil, her current one having just snapped. Finding one, she smiled, set her bag back on the ground and continued with her sketch, which had started out to be an offhand drawing having quickly turned into a detailed, carefully analyzed picture. A tinge of guilt reached itself into her head as her subject, August, a Ravenclaw boy whom she shared a couple classes with, looked across the courtyard, his eyes skimming past her, unaware of her drawing of him. She was fairly certain he wouldn't mind, it was common knowledge throughout Hogwarts that Grace Hunter could regularly be seen spending all of her free time seated outdoors, painting scenes of crowds and scenery, wildlife and generally anything that caught her attention.

It was roughly another twenty minutes before Grace had finished, adding the last touches of detail to the fountain in the background of which August was situated nearby. He had barely moved for the whole duration of time in which she had been drawing him, and she was thankful as she again retrieved her bag and placed her items within. Briefly looking towards the sky above her, she noticed the clouds, changing at an alarming rate into a much darker shade than their previous white fluffy state.

She groaned as the absence of a jumper on her dawned, and she felt the suspense of a downpour of rain from the sky above. Glancing at her skirt and short sleeve shirt, she groaned loudly, seconds before the heavens opened up and furiously pelted heavy rain towards the ground. Most of the crowd from the courtyard had reached the warmth and safety of indoors, except a small handful of students including August. Rising from her seat and proceeding at a fast walk towards the large doors, the feeling of appreciation for August keeping still rose up inside of her again. Calling to him, she decided to show him her picture, just as a thanks. 'August!' she yelled, catching up to him as he reached the glorious dryness of the indoors. Running up behind him and tapping his shoulder, she withdrew the picture from her bag without saying a word, shyly muttering that she hoped he didn't mind. 'I draw a lot of people, just thought I would let you have a look.'

[August Reid R7]

The sounds of the courtyard were like white noise dully gnawing at August's ears. Blurred shapes passed his eyes as students passed his eyesight. He was lost in thought. Just a week ago he could not have believed that his life could get more complicated than it already was. But now, well now everything was more complicated. What happened? What happened to his quiet life? Weren't Ravenclaws supposed to be the ones who spent their entire lives locked away in some library? Apparently not. The loss of the first Quidditch game weighed heavily on his shoulders and also Theo's as August was informed that he would be taking on more responsibility when it came to the team. He needed to organize a practice. He needed to study for his NEWTs. He had to find a way to make his mum better. He needed a guide.

Although all of this was somewhere in his mind, all he could think of was the Hospital Wing. And Dylan. Dylan. What now? What was the next step? August thought for sure that Dylan had hated him. August barely noticed those around him. He was aware of their presence but he could care less what they were doing there. He recognised Grace across the courtyard but didn't feel like getting up to say hello. She was drawing with her sketch book but August didn't wonder what she was drawing. He observed the courtyard as if he was a spectator not even in his own body. His mind felt distant from his surroundings. Not until he felt several drops on his head did he realise that the students had retreated to the safety of inside and left him to defend for himself. It was like a rude awakening. Suddenly he was snapped back into reality as the sky decided to wet the earth. August looked up and was met with a wet tear right on the forehead.

Gathering his belongings he slowly made his way toward the Great Hall. Rain was nothing to fear. He slowly made his way through the crowd, letting the crowd steer him instead of the other way around. He was in a lethargic mood and nothing short of Dylan could change that. When he felt a hand on his shoulder he turned around and looked in the eyes of Grace. She and he had been classmates for several years now and had many classes together. It seemed like Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff always came together for Charms. He took the book handed to him and looked at it. August had no real eye for art and never really knew what to say when asked about it. "Looks good," he told her as he handed the book back to her. He started to leave but thought that he would rather have company then be stuck in his head. "I'm on my way to the Great Hall. Would you care to join me?"