ALL I ASK OF YOU

[Emmeline Vance]

There was something about Spring.

It had always been Emme’s favourite season, since it was halfway between Winter and Summer, where the air is still chilly, and there’s a light wind, but the sun tends to shine, and the skies are clear, and you can wear lighter clothes and not have to bundle up like Santa Claus in order to take a step outside. And though she wouldn’t consider herself an ‘outside’ person, she had her moments when she really needed a breath of fresh air. Ever since she could remember, Emme had turned to gymnastics to relax. A couple of years ago, she’d taken up running, and it was the best thing to do when she needed to let out some steam, let go off some pressure, or simply just forget about everyone and run. Today wasn’t one of those days where she needed to relax from something—she considered that this particular era of her life was actually pretty relaxed in comparison to other times. She was doing well in classes again, she’d even managed to pick up her Potions grade from a P to an E after rigorous studying and with a lot of help from Gabby, who was like, a Potions genius, something which Emme hadn’t ever been able to fully grasp (although she was starting to suspect that it might have something to do with the fact that over half of the ingredients grossed her out so much that she refused to hold them and tended to discard them as quickly as possible instead of following the instructions).

Aside from schoolwork, she was holding up this amazing relationship with Luke, whom she couldn’t believe she’d never seen in any other way than friendly before, because he was romantic, and he was sweet, and was so into kissing her. And when she looked back on it for a while, he was bringing out this side of her that she tended to keep around for only a couple of people. She felt like she laughed more, like she jumped around more, and she was silly and ridiculous and they joked and teased each other a lot and it was so unlike any other relationship she’d ever had that it was so thrilling every time she got to see him, she was crazy about it, counting down the minutes for class to end so they could go hang out. It was a kind of hyped up friendship where they were completely into each other and knew what their lips felt like, and Emme loved it. Even more than all of that, she was seeing her friends more, she’d managed to patch things up with Gideon so they spoke again and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed having him around until she had him again, and Gabby, and God, even Stefan had turned out to be so much more than she’d given him credit for all their lives. She was taking care of him, she’d taken him under her wing now that he lived with them, setting aside all of her worries about him taking over her place as only daughter in her family, and she felt so accomplished and great for doing that for him. She was even working on attempting to understand that he liked boys.

So, yes, her life was actually wonderful right now.

Which is why she’d woken up that morning, early when the sun was shining through the rounded windows of the Hufflepuff Common Room, and gotten into some knee-length sweatpants and a sports tee, and tied her hair up in a ponytail while she went outside for a run. It was still breezy and light, and a great day, and she was actually looking forward to breakfast now that she didn’t feel fat anymore, so she could eat. Maybe it had been the whole Yule Ball hype that had made losing weight so imperative, but the weight was gone now, and she looked great—Luke certainly thought she looked great—and breakfasts at Hogwarts were to die for. Anyway, she started running out towards the grounds, figuring she’d go around the lake and to the other side of the Quidditch Pitch before she returned to the castle in time for breakfast—she checked her watch, which read an hour till breakfast, and that gave her forty-five minutes to run, and fifteen minutes to shower before she went down to the Great Hall. Perfect.

Emme picked up her pace and swung her arms on either side of her rhythmically, feet padding lightly across the soft ground as she jogged around the lake, staring ahead and singing to herself in her mind to the beat of her footsteps. She supposed it was probably the singing, in the end, that caused her to lose herself in her thoughts too much and not really pay attention to where she was going when her foot caught in a thick root that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and it sent her flat on her face with a shriek, tumbling forward and landing, on her side, over another root. “What the hell?” she gasped, clutching her side and gripping the branch in order to right herself. Getting onto her feet a little unsteadily, her side still throbbing a little from having landed right on it, Emme turned around and had a split second to widen her eyes and have her mouth drop open in a scream that got cut off as a thick, long branch swung out of nowhere and landed right across her gut, sending her flying back several feet away before she landed on her back, the breath completely knocked out of her, feeling dizzy and pain shooting up every side of her as she tried to focus on the sky above her…

and the branch currently plummeting down the air straight towards her face.

[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

OPEN!

[Andromeda Black]

walking, walking, running for m i l e s

The Whomping Willow.

A curious tree. Planted the year her sister Bellatrix began Hogwarts. Of no great significance, with the exception that every year they were told to stay away from it; and every year, Andromeda stayed away. After all, the idea of being whomped by a wailing willow did not very much appeal to her. No. She was much more drawn to the idea of the giant squid, said to occasionally fling students out of the lake, though she had never actually born witness to this phenomena. In fact, the truth of the matter was (a matter of truth) that the squid likely didn’t exist at all, just another lore surrounding the ever mystical castle. And yet, even so, sometimes Andromeda found herself wandering down to the shores of the lake, loafered feet standing on the edge, on the line (but never crossing, no, no, never crossing, walk the shore like a tightrope—Don’t. Look. Down.), staring out and waiting. How as a first year she had so wanted to catch a glimpse of one of those tentacles, to tickle its beak, share her morning toast with the cephalopod and ask about its day. Nostalgia; a faint&funny feeling. This time was no different; she went, she saw nothing. Always, she saw nothing.

Andromeda told no one of these thoughts, of this weekly ritual—something she had done every week since starting Hogwarts, varying the times of day, of course, of course. In time, it became habit more than anything, less about the squid and more about a stepping away from the daily duties and responsibilities and obligations, to a place she would always seek and never see. Brushing her hair behind her ear, eyes trailed across the surface, the ever smooth surface (merfolk, down there, don’t you know? everyone knows). Fingers locked carefully behind her, elbows locking. Cool air of spring settled along her skin, a gentle reminder of time flowing by—that this, this would be her last year here. And… a reminder that she didn’t know, exactly, what to think about that (not feel, never feel).

Twisting (&turning) sharply on her heel, Andromeda started to make her way back to the castle, another day about to unfold. Every day the same. Something comforting about the familiar. Lungs expanded beneath the cage of her ribs, and she let out a slow breath, trying to take it all in. In the beginning, the end always seems so far away. Yet now, now that it was here, she couldn’t quite comprehend that….her days at Hogwarts were numbered. Safety in the numbers. Steps even and paced, she continued up along the hill, movements measured (m e c h a n i c a l). Leaves shifted along the branches of the Whomping Willow, and Andromeda cast only a fleeting glance, before continuing on by, at a distance. No one would want to close that gap. Everything quiet, something so peaceful about the grounds in the morning. After all, very few cared to rise before breakfast, still caught twisting in the web of sleep. Speaking of… it was nearly time for breakfast, wasn’t it? Perhaps just some pumpkin juice though, never one for breakfast, that Andromeda. Yes. A glass of juice. Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Just another, average, ordinary da—

S c R e A m (!)

The sound caught her off guard, catching in her ears, quickening the beat of her heart, and Andromeda’s head snapped up to catch sight of a girl being thrown back—whomped by the willow. Stomach d r o p p e d. A flash of blonde hair; “Emmeline!” Wand in hand, she hurried towards the tree—"MOVE!" --girl down, branch raised, toolate, toolate, toolate, “Mobilicorpus!” Movements sharp, yet a softened twist at the end, Andromeda swept her wand across the air, pointing to a grassy area a good distance from the branches. She hoped to lift Emmeline’s body and move her out of range; since, quite frankly, the girl did not appear to be moving on her own (the will k N o C k E d out of her, perhaps). If there was a way to immobilize the tree, Andromeda was unaware. It seemed a dangerous thing to keep, and yet, what about the wizarding world was not dangerous? Raising mandrakes… and once fully grown just one scream could silence a person right into their grave. Finally closing the distance, Andromeda called out, “Emmeline, are you all right?” Whomp, whomp, whomp.

_{NOTE: OTL;; hope it's okay if andromeda jumps in? if not, no worries, just let me know and i'll take the post down. i understand if you meant this for someone else or want it to go in a different direction! <3}