Knuts and Bolts *Isabella*

[drew]

"Of course, and don't forget, you're joining club." When they get the protest together for them, and they have their little signs in the future of course, save the clabberts or whatever. Haha, he sounded like Indigo. "This is true, but it didn't look like it paid me any attention. In fact, it almost looked as if it was running away from you" Drew laughed and put his hands up, as if he were only stating what he saw. "I just can't picture a unicorn at full charge either." They were supposed to be the most innocent and gentle of creatures, and even though they didn't like males, it'd be a little odd to see one attack. Hilarious, but odd. He looked down at her finger and then back up at her, with a smug expression on his face. "Be careful where you point that thing, someone may bite it off." Girls were always waving their fingers everywhere in people's faces, some kind of trait they all shared.

"Thank you. I think you just managed to compliment me, while at the same time insulting me for all it's worth." Drew wasn't stupid, after all, he could ace his classes if he felt the need. He never saw the reason in throwing around your brains for all to see with your grades, if you knew you were intelligent, it was enough. He read a ton, it's where he learned everything, not from the professors. "I should have known better. Bella admitting defeat would be some sort of phenomenon worth taking the time to pause and gawk at." It's like Drew being serious. Besides, it's too odd. "No doubt you could excel over me in all of Hogwarts classes, but when it comes to stepping over the line, you fall short right on your butt." He beamed with a smile full of teeth, the two always went back and forth like that.

"No, I wouldn't think so. Happy with me one day, gone the next. It's the way my life cycle seems to work." It's because he was found exhasperating. "I could have....if I wasn't paying attention. Ignoring the fact that I was still about ten feet away from them, after I re-directed the car" He smirked with a chuckle, knowing it was making her head spin. "I just gave them a little spook. You know, to liven up their boring lives. I bet that's more excitment then they've had in a week." He added, playing up the fact that they were Ravenclaws. Their heads were too far up their books to do anything fun. He kept driving on, eventually turning off the road he was on, and driving over dead grass, up a street that wasn't a street, but a hill. "Relax." He said, before she could have a chance to protest. "I want to show you something." There was an old playground up here, one that hadn't been used in several years, since it was now surrounded by the magical population.

[bella]

“Yeah, yeah,” she said dismissively with a wave of her hand, “Let me know when you get the presidency and everything together. You know, handing the flyers, broadcasting the first meeting…then we’ll talk.” Luckily it was a plan that was only a plan in progress, and it would always be a plan in progress. The day he came to her with actual concrete plans she might just start laughing and never stop – Bella would own up to having a soft spot for creatures, all sort of them, but clabberts, well, the world would be a better place without them.

“In fact, it almost looked as if it was running away from you!” She simply shook her head. “Yes, because I’m sooooo intimidating and everything.” Truthfully the unicorn probably just hadn’t wanted to deal with pesky humans poking around in the Forest. And really, it hadn’t even “run” away – more like was passing through and they just happened to catch a glance at him as it walked along. Or maybe she was just trying to justify that it hadn’t run away from her specifically. Bella, give it a rest, common sense told her, making her laugh slightly. She definitely over thought things. “Be careful where you point that thing, someone may bite it off.” Bella glared over at him and then poked his side. “Whoops,” she teased innocently, praying he had enough sense to keep both hands on the wheel.

“Yup,” she agreed with a grin, “Defeat for me occurs just about as many times as a solar eclipse occur. So,” acting as though to be counting on her fingers, “Not many.” “…but when it comes to stepping over the line, you fall short right on your butt.” Alright, well, true. She wasn’t exactly Miss Daring, now was she? “That’s what you’re here for,” she improvised, “If – okay, when,” Bella added regrettably, deciding she might as well sidestep that bomb, “When I fall, you can help me back up.” She smiled lightly, keeping it to herself that there were a lot more reason to keep him around.

“I could have…if I wasn't paying attention. Ignoring the fact that I was still about ten feet away from them, after I re-directed the car.” Another glare – “Drew!” she scowled, a slight mothering tendency showing. “I just gave them a little spook…” Bella let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. Looking at it from a strictly one-up-each-other point of view, his logic was flawless and therefore she couldn’t have an argument without digging herself a deeper hole. Hadn’t they just covered she wasn’t about to give in? Better to just stay quiet…even though the victor was obvious. “Relax, I have something I want to show you.” That caught her attention, her fuming short lived. Relaxing her stiffened position she glanced over at him. “Oh really?” she inquired, curiosity showing in her expression. “What’s that?” she continued, looking at their surrounding with more interest, trying to mentally guess where he could be taking her.

[drew]

ooc: what a cute siggy!




"Naturally, I'd be the spokesperson. But you could be the annoying girl who stands right outside the school doors shoving flyers in people's faces..., if you want. Desperate times call for desperate measures, who knows what we'd do without..." Drew couldn't remember what they were called and fumbled for a moment, "calborts." Close enough. He'd come up with that name in the first place, after hearing about them in class. It'd been a few days since his first rambling about them, so his memory was now a little fuzzy. In reality, he'd rather chew off his own foot than preach to people about an animal he barely knew existed. Besides, he didn't like public speaking. Heh.

"You are, you're scary Bella." He made a very sad and knowing face, shaking his head like this fact was concerning. Drew broke into a grin, "At least you are when I cheat off your homework." Which he'd done several times in class, until the day she had caught him. At the time, they hadn't really known one another. He didn't expect to after that either. He jolted when she poked him in the side, casting her a glare he kept driving, kneeing her in the leg after he made another small turn. "Hey, I mean it. I'm a carnivore" He snapped his teeth and kept going, smiling inside.

"I never lose, I just back off." He smiled, knowing the fights he'd gotten in with other people. Generally it wasn't a big deal, and Drew usually didn't care. It was the other person who got mad, and he'd shrug his shoulders and pass on. Yet he wasn't completely passive, if you kept coming at him he was going to strike back. Drew always felt that he was right, so he'd just laugh to himself about their stupidity and be done with it. Most of the time they'd scratch their heads at him and get over it. He laughed, glancing at her once before looking back at the pathway the car was going on. "I'd love to. "Aww don't pout, it wasn't my intention to kill them. If they were Slytherns sure" He blew it off with a wave of his hand. "Buut, they weren't. I'm too good of a soul" He mocked defiantly.

"What's that? Well you'll see won't you?" He gave a cheeky smile, the dirt kicking up on the car even more the farther they went on. Suddenly he stopped the car, at the top of the hill, you could see the valley below through the tall tress that surrounded it. He put the car in park and turned off the ignition, staring over at her before getting out and opening her car door. "It's called a playground. I don't know if witches and wizards ever used them as kids-" Since he didn't grow up as one, "-But I think it's pretty cool." Drew smirked, sounding like a parent teaching their child what something was for the first time. He nodded his head towards the tree swing off to the side. "After you."

[bella]

OOC: Oh thank you. Amazing what you can find at Photobucket. ;]


“Oh yes!” she said, faking enthusiasm, “That would be great! I can stand there with my wand out and send flying paper balls at every one passing by…it’ll keep bouncing in their heads until they open it and once they open it, it’ll attempt to give them paper cuts until they decide to join. We’ll have plenty of members in no time.” Alright, clearly she’d been spending too much time with the male population of her friends. Patrick had managed to get her help in sending dung bombs at poor, innocent passing students, Drake with his silly Accio plan, and Drew stealing her off school grounds. Yeah, her perfect little Miss Hufflepuff record was defiantly going downhill. On the plus side, she’d been having the most fun at Hogwarts she’d had – ever. And with all the distractions, it had kept her mind in a healthy state, instead of her pity-me-my-so-called-mother-just-died mode. She hadn’t liked herself much during those weeks…she’d managed to burst out crying too many times to count and make a mockery of herself in front of her friends… Bella still hadn’t managed to say sorry to Indigo yet either; boy, that had been a day.

“You are, you're scary Bella.” Just the sincerity alone in his tone and expression made her actually question whether he was joking or not, “At least you are when I cheat off your homework.” Alright, joking it is. Bella sighed and rolled her eyes, scarcely managing not to poke him again. “You know, if you’d just ask I’d help you finish it. But I swear, if I catch you again I’ll do enough to you to make you turn into the ideal Hufflepuff – you’ll do all your homework properly, hold your tongue in classes, and even offer to help teachers out. You thought I was scary before…?” Bella laughed, “You just wait.” Her laugh only strengthened when he squirmed, nearly catapulting right out of his seat. Once he managed to settle the score, he added “Hey, I mean it. I'm a carnivore.” Bella purposefully shivered in fright at the small snack of his jaw and put a terrified hand over her throat. “Oh, I know,” she said too seriously, “What sort of vampire would you be without?” Oh no, she hadn’t forgotten. If he’d expected her to, he’d been sadly mistaken.

“Too good of a soul,” she scoffed, echoing his words. “Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it. Although, I was thinking more along the lines that you didn’t fancy getting expelled. I mean, you only have to last through this year and then it won’t matter. Wouldn’t want to break this little streak you’re on, now would you? It’d be a shame if you couldn’t finish up your schooling. I mean, who would keep me company if you got expelled?” She smirked, knowing there were plenty others she could give up her time to, but when it came to first picks he’d always be on top. “You might just want to behave for a little longer,” she advised, laughing a little.

“What’s that? Well you’ll see won’t you?” Bella puckered her lips in a pout but said nothing, focusing on looking much more hurt then she was. On the contrary, there wasn’t much room in her for sadness; her curiosity was too strong. She feel completely silent as the car finally slowed, glancing around only to be met with a bunch of trees until she was able to focus a bit more clearly, realizing the view was amazing from where she sat. “Wow,” she murmured as Drew slide out, leaving her all of a couple seconds to compose herself before her door swung open. At the small explanation, a hesitant smile formed along her lips. “I know what they are,” she informed him casually, “But I was never allowed to go to one.” A sad mark of her not-so-great childhood. Pushing herself up, Bella glanced over to toward the indicated direction, her expression lightening. She grabbed his hand and started off toward the tree, saying simply “I love it.” And that she did. She hadn’t had many experiences where she could just focus on being happy for a while. It was sort of a nice change.

[drew]

ooc: Haha, how true


He almost wouldn't put it past Bella to do any of that, if it was actually about something she was determined on. Any Hufflepuff for that matter, would go to great lengths to get their point across, seeing as they were mostly ignored in every day surroundings. "Plenty of members against their will." He pointed out, but then smiled like it was no big deal. "But members are members, you can't be picky with these kinds of things." Though of course, if Drew's intention was to cause havoc, he'd certainly wait on a more deserving subject before he gave it his full attention. Perhaps an SAH would be worthwhile. 'Students Against Homework.' After all, it was a boarding school. There was no home to go to, so why were they required to do it? Weren't they being punished enough? drew thought so. And on another note, if they didn't learn in class, they wouldn't learn later. If they didn't understand in class, they obviously aren't going to know what the hell is going on with their assignment. So it was pointless, really.

He was joking again, there wasn't one thing he could find scary about her. Not even when she was irritated was she horrifying, it was actually rather cute. Part of his goal to irritate Bella wasn't just because he could, it's because he thought it was funny when she got all steamed up. "Pshh, I don't NEED help. I get it fine, I'm not a knock head like the slytherins." He brushed off casually, as if saying the word 'slytherin' explained everything. "I just don't want to do it. It takes a lot less of my precious time to write down the answers from some sweet, innocent huffle like yourself, than it is for me to read every answer and find it in the book. But being as how I'd now rather be on your good side, for fear of having to wear something I'll remember for the rest of my life to the ball, I'll cease and desist." He finished with a a slightly defeated look on his face.

Drew raised an eyebrow before laughing. "You're gonna turn me into a good boy who minds all his p's and q's are you? Good luck" He saluted her with one hand, he'd been this way his entire life. Their little vampire joke was bound to continue for some time; he knew there would come a point when he'd have to tell a confused group of people that it was an inside joke, so they wouldn't think she'd lost her marbles. Though, that would be kind of funny now that he thought about it. "Exactly. I've endured this long, might as well finish the race. Be sort of a shame not to graduate when I'm this close. Though I don't think I would be, Dumbledore likes me too much" He grinned, looking over at her. Nah, Dumbeldore probably couldn't even remember his name, let alone the fact that he was a seventh year.

He came to this place if not for anything, to have a little taste of home. Not that he was overly thrillled with muggles, but he did spend his time in that almost completely seperate world. "You were never allowed to even slide down the slide? Wha'd they think you'd do? Land in the dirt and break your butt?" I mean honestly, it's a slide. But then he had a different childhood all together he was quite sure, he'd been the unofficial adult in the house. It took care of the mama, not the other way aroudn. Drew had had so much freedom, it was really no wonder he was the way he was. I love it. He smiled, not a cocky one, but that rare sincere one that he had. "I'm glad." They'd reached the swing, his favorite part, and he went around to stand behind it. "Hop up, here's your first taste of childhood."

[bella]

OOC: Let me tell you, I completely back up Drew one hundred percent! (Can I join SAH? lol.) It’s hard to prove a point that I don’t really believe in. XP


“I suppose not, but you have to admit, it would be interesting.” Gathering a bunch of students for no better purpose then to save an animal that wasn’t even completely proven to be alive anymore and throwing them in a room to discuss just how they would save this so-called animal, all against their will – well, it would be pretty entertaining. Actually putting that much effort into it just for a couple minutes worth of fun enjoyment? Not so much. The thoughtful expression placed on Drew’s face clearly showed similar thoughts, and for a moment she thought about asking what he thinking through; then decided that would just “open a whole other can of worms” as she believed it was once put.

“Pssh, I don’t need help. I get it fine, I’m not a knock head like the Slytherins.” Only from a Hogwarts student would you ever hear something like that in such context. And as hard as she tried to not believe it, for the sake of telling Regulus she’d been better at not being so judgmental if nothing else, Bella knew part of her believe the excuse. Slytherins were defiantly prone to have the lower scores, of at least the ones she knew anyways – not even know; more like, she just happens to know their name. Reflecting on it, she realized Regulus was the only Slytherin she could put up with and actually even liked his company – all the others were just a big pain in the butt. “…for fear of having to wear something I’ll remember for the rest of my life to the ball, I’ll cease and desist.” Alright, she appreciated the gesture more then she was going to admit, it’s true, but that didn’t stop her from teasing him a little bit. “Aw…,” she said cutely, like she’d just seen an adorable little puppy or something, “You’d do that for me?” Bella leaned over, pecked his cheek quickly and grinned, “I’m flattered.”

“You’re gonna turn me into a good boy who minds all his P’s and Q’s, are you? Good luck.” Bella laughed as though his response had been exactly what she’d thought it would be – “It’s already working, what on earth are you talking about?” Had he not just admitted he’d been slightly better? But all the same, if she really had such a problem with it she wouldn’t be with him now. “….though I don’t think I would be, Dumbledore likes me too much.” Bella rolled her eyes, joking dryly “Pah-leese, he doesn’t seek out your company just to say he had a good chat with you, does he?” Her tone implied Dumbledore had done this to her several times now, although she’d scarcely spoken more then a hundred words to him since joining Hogwarts. Like all the other students here, or more specifically all the Hufflepuffs, she was just another student, just like all the other Hufflepuff’s. Makes you feel small, doesn’t it? She laughed lightly at the thought.

Bella was momentarily stationary, curiously staring over towards the swing. “You were never allowed to even slide down a slide? Wha’d they think you’d do? Land in the dirt and break your butt?” A hesitant smile crept onto her lips. “Um, something like that,” she allowed for lack of any better explanation. Bella wasn’t quite so sure she was willing to share her ill fated childhood with him just yet. He knew of her so-called parents, and that’d she’d grown up in an orphanage – but she had yet to disclose an information of what exactly happened when she was at the orphanage, or how she’d wound up at the psycho ward. Sometimes she still had painful nightmares about that, but she’d done a good job at blocking it entirely for a long time now. She wasn’t about to go and unbury it.

“I’m glad,” Drew continued, breaking into her walk down horror lane and for a second she was mortified – glad that she’d accidentally committed murder? Her mind quickly caught up, realizing he wasn’t giving commentary to her thoughts but rather her words. Duh. “Hop up, here’s your first taste of childhood.” She hadn’t even realized she’d moved at all, too lost in thought to comprehend her feet moving forward. Bella shoved every painful thought back into its locked box and jumped up, purposefully holding her feet a little above the ground to lightly swing them without much force. “At seventeen – lovely,” she laughed.

[drew]

ooc: sweet haha, I'd join the club. I think most students would. However the clabberts club, I'd have to think about...lol


The clabbert thing would go on forever, whether it got old or not, it was just one of those things you didn't forget. That would be the answer to everything: the clabberts. He'd almost feel bad for the creatures, that they were ignored, if they weren't so completely useless. Almost everything on the planet had a purpose, excluding only clabberts. Really, he couldn't find one use, unless you counted domesticating one to become an annoying house pet as one. He was going on somewhat of a rant in his mind, but he didn't care, it was HIS mind. Don't ever try to get in a read Drew's thoughts, you might not get back out. Some actually wondered if there were any thoughts going on up there at all. He would assure you, there was....however trivial they might be. Aw, you would do that for me? He looked over at her and then resisted pulling a face. "Yeh, I guess." Deciding he'd taken the nice thing a little to far, he completely threw that out the window as she gave him a kiss. Smirking, he decided maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Sometimes sacrifice must come for the greater good." Yeah well, whatever. Hardly made sense, but then it didn't have to. Making sense was boring, and who wanted that? It was much better just to confuse Bella. Drew scoffed and gave her a look of incredulity. "Sure it has, in no time I'll be a saint. Maybe I'm just pretending it is, you know, being nice when you're around. After all, I could be some deranged vampire in mock disguise. When you least expect it I'll pounce." Heh, if she insisted on making him a vampire, he might as well use it to his full advantage. "But brownie points for trying, even if it is a lost cause." A lost cause in the sense that he didn't want to do everything he was told, not that he couldn't.

Um, something like that. He said no more of it, no smirk and joke, no short quib. Childhood for many people was something they wouldn't repeat for the world, they would much rather forget what had happened. He couldn't say he was particularly pleased with the way his turned out either, but their history was different. Her parents and social workers must have been stiffs. "Alright." Was all that he answered, before pulling her swing back, ready to propel it forward. "Hey, better late than never." He grinned a little. "Besides you're only as old as you want to be." Drew leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, whispering in her ear "you might want to hold on." He pushed the swung and it went up into the air, the simplest pleasure to swing but the best.


ooc: this is rather short and pathetic, but I have to go somewhere unexpectedly, so sorry, best I can do

[bella]

Bella raised an eyebrow in question, “Sometimes sacrifice must come for the greater good.” She had ideas on what that might mean, in his terms, and which of bit she applied to, but past that she had nothing. She simply shook her head and dismissed it – or tried to at least. Despite her best efforts he mind went into rant mode, coming up with all sorts of interpretations, each of which slowly became more and more confusing. After a bit of this, she just concluded that it meant nothing, wasn’t supposed to mean anything, and he just liked to throw out those sorts of phrases for the mere purpose of watching her face scrunch up in concentration over the matter. Trying to stop that reflex was impossible, so it looked like he was always going to get his way.

“After all, I could be some deranged vampire in mock disguise. When you least expect it I’ll pounce.” Alright, she’d walked herself right into that one. “I’ll make a mental note of that,” she muttered with a grin, “You realize though that any attempts you make to get much closer to me then this and I’ll have to assume it’s because you’re preparing to take my life away, right?” She gestured at the ground between them, which really wasn’t all that much anyways – because like it actually mattered. Vampires… Laughable. “But brownies points for trying, even if it is a lost cause.” She laughed under her breath, “I told you, it already is working. I’m a master at manipulating the mind…” she added in a spooky, fortune-teller voice, wigging her fingers like something bad would come from it. (She had always thought it was rather funny that the Muggle idea of magic was moving your hands around and expecting something to happen – didn’t they know it required a purchased wand?)

She was glad he seemed smart enough (on his own, minus the “mind manipulation,”) to not press the subject of her swing-deprived childhood. It wasn’t anything to cared to relive, having barely managed to survive the first time. She didn’t often decide to play the “pity me” card, but she justified that when she did, it was a pretty valid reason. It was easier to play happy and act as though nothing was wrong, like she’d actually had a normal family or something. Not her whacked-out foster mother who turned her in for a psychopath – yeah, that’s family. Against herself, she grinned at the odd memories, more out of spite then anything else. “Hey, better late then never, besides: you’re only as old as you want to be.” Instead she now grinned because of his attempts at optimism. “You might want to hold on.” Just as his lips left her skin she was propelled forward with gentle firmness. Now, for the average human being the sensation wouldn’t mean too terribly much, but for her it slightly reminded Bella of flying – which, was of course in the top ten best feelings in the world. She laughed freely, actually feeling sorry for Muggle – this was as close as they got to flying? Poor souls.


OOC: No worries. ^^

[drew]

Her confusion at what he said was often matched with only his own confusion. Girls said things that really had a double meaning, and they left boys to figure it all out. It was his small way of bringing justice back. Usually Bella was rather obvious in what she said and meant, but she was still a girl, and left Drew wondering what she really meant like that. Quite a pair, always confusing the other. He let out his own frustrated sigh at seemingly nothing as he thought about it. He sometimes wished they'd just say it and be done with it, but then where would the fun be in that, I suppose. She hadn't responded to his completely off the wall comment, which made him assume she knew it was rubbish, or else she was still trying to sort it out in her head. Either way, it had served its purpose. If it ever had a purpose that is.

"A mental note? You couldn't possibly have that much storage left up there" He knocked on her head lightly, and turned his ear towards her, as if he were listening for a hollow sound. Drew really couldn't see how she had any room left at all, as she knew just about everything. "Nah, no room. Any more of that and your head will explode." He eyed her at her next comment, had she really got him in a corner? "Ahh..." Drew inched forward a bit. ""You're not really going to try and make me keep my distance, are you? I mean...." He smirked and edged even closer, face to face. "That's just cruel." Enough with the vampires, he wasn't going to sit all the way on the other side of the car from her. Drew gave her a rock solid stare before wiggling his eyebrows up and down, his face still perfectly straight.

"Oh I can tell. You're fingers, they're so hypnotizing." He teased this time, watching and turning his head as they moved with it. "For some reason," he paused stilll following her fingers, "I have a strong childish desire to go put a smoke bomb in the girl's bathroom." He then stopped turning his head with a smugish look about him. "Hmm, you must not have done the right spell." Drew scared aghast at her and then laughed out loud, opening the car door. He pushed the swing again when it came back towards him, giving more shove this time. "You see, you think flying is all about going somewhere." He said loudly to her as her swing went up. "But this is my kind of flying, who says you have to go anywhere at all? As long as you're up in the air, away from everyone else, it gives you the same feeling."

[bella]

For a while, in her long, drawn-out (and quite pointless) thought process led her to staring back out the window again. Muggle contraptions had, to some extent, fascinated her ever since she’d found out about this whole other way of life. She hadn’t had much experience in the outside world for most of her youth, limited to the orphanage and school mostly, and then just the orphanage after the whole “accident” and everything. That in mind, she did view the car as an odd specimen of life. If Drew hadn’t been with her she probably would have never willing gotten into a metal beast that could malfunction in so many ways. Walking, flying, and even using a porky seemed more reliable then this thing. So Bella stared out the window, visualizing the first lazy human that decided it’d be better to ride around in a car rather then walk on their own two legs. She’d actually managed to get herself so consumed she scarcely held in a jump when Drew sigh loudly, blinking back and glancing at him, though he didn’t seem to pay much notice. Bella internally kicked herself for being silent so long – and then managed to laugh quietly under her breath: guys were always complaining that girls talked too much; this might be a nice switch for him.

“A mental note? You couldn’t possibly have that much storage left up there.” He actually sounded bewildered as he rapped lightly on her head. Bella stared at him in wonder, almost about to ask what the heck he was doing before he answered her unvoiced question: “Nah, no room. Any more of that and your head will explode.” Her expression softened into understanding and she laughed not only at him but herself. “Drew, you’d be surprised how much I can remember. Trust me, trying to keeps tabs on you and what exactly you’d like to do with my life – letting me live, or slitting my throat,” she added as clarification, chuckling, “is the least of my problems.” Bella automatically watched him with curiosity as he leaned towards her, somehow still keeping them on the road. “You’re not really going to try and make me keep my distance, are you? I mean…that’s just cruel.” She’d almost worked up a decent reply to his serious teasing when he did that ridiculous wiggle-eyebrow thing of his, making her laugh involuntarily. “You’re such a dork,” she giggled, stifling her laughter with one hand though it didn’t help much. “But I still love you, so it’s okay,” she teased, smirking. He was a dork, it was true, but for the time being he was her dork, so that made it alright.

“…hmm, you must not have done the right spell.” Bella pursed her lips and glanced down at her hands sadly. “Or you’ve just somehow managed to block them,” she ventured randomly, sounding as though she was really considering the option. “I mean, I suppose it’s entirely possible.” With one last ditch effort she wiggled her fingers in his direction, concentrating hard – and then dropped them back into her lap. “Nothing,” she sighed disappointedly.

“You see, you think flying is all about getting somewhere…” His philosophy, no matter how stretched, did seem rather profound – or as profound as swing-logic could get at least. All the same, she grinned in response. “No one ever said you have to have a destination when flying,” she pointed out but didn’t argue much past that. This was something she should have done a long time ago, this swinging idea. Catching up on it now seemed displaced, but Bella mentally wagered the options: a.) have done it when she was little, alone in complete silence, or b.) here, now, with Drew. Given the two, she’d always pick the latter. “Did you go to playgrounds with friends then?” she asked as the seat swung backwards, and forward again. “Or did your mom take you?” She wasn’t altogether sure his mother would have been very into the whole “mother-son” bonding time; Drew’s mother was almost like a dulled down version of her own.

[drew]

Drew's life had been a lot different than Bella's, in more ways then one. He was completely at ease and knowledgeable about the muggle world, but it didn't mean he liked it. Magic was something he'd grown used to, and in return, he liked it. He figured he would always have had a knack for being a 'magician', whether he ended up a wizard or not. Drew just liked things that couldn't be explained, especially if he was the one who held the secret. Their mothers, as well, were quite different. Though he didn't know much about Ms. Swan, he knew she was less of a mom than his own. His own was just a drunk, too confused and depressed to take care of a son she shouldn't have. He understood that, but niether one hated the other. They both knew they needed one another to survive, and had things worked out differently, they probably could have been a happy family. HAD things worked out differently. Which, it hadn't. He turned his energy to something that didn't have emotions and he didn't have to struggle with, cars. You could fix those you see, and they wouldn't go back to the way their were all of a sudden with no explainable reason. Everything had a reason and explanation behind it with cars.

He looked in his rearview mirror and then over at her yet again, as if he were waiting for her out of the blue laughter. Of course, they both were pretty odd, laughing suddenly as they thought of an old joke, or even worse, shared a joke with themselves. Drew eyed her before going back to the road once more. "Slitting your throat? Is that what you think vampires do?" He asked in a slightly amused voice, once they had exited the car. "Bells, they bite. Of course I'm not exactly up-to-date on my vampire tactics, so maybe modern times have changed them." He mused, barely pulling off a thoughful expression. "All the verbal abuse I take from you." He shook his head like it was unfathomable that he let it all slide. "Aren't dorks supposed to be the ones who spend their Christmas holiday playing wizards chess and challenge the professors?" He asked her quizzically, he wouldn't go as far as to say he was that, persay. "Extrodinarly out of the ordinary maybe." Drew teased, as he pushed her on the swing. "Oh well, alright then, that makes everything ok" He replied sarcastically to her still loving him. He didn't take the love bit seriously, he never did.

"Oh yes, let me tell you. I have capablities beyond anything those little hands could produce. You've yet to see even a pinch of the power I hold" He replied with a I'm-so-marvelous face. Drew wasn't the best wizard that was for sure, but she'd led herself right into that one. "Aw, maybe next time" He fakely consoled her, rubbing her back. You know, just for good measure. "You have a point little hufflepuff" He responded in a Jedi tone of voice. "But you're still going somewhere. You may not know where you'll end up of course, but you're moving ahead." What Drew said turned out not to make flying look any less appealing, more just like a fact. It was sort of like life, in a way. Did you go to playgrounds with friends then? Or did your mom take you? "Ha" Drew snorted, as he continued to push Bella higher and higher. He didn't answer any more than that, just laughed at the thought of his mom going somewhere. She did actually, when he was three or four, take him quite a lot. But something changed, and she started to care less and less. That was the end of childhood as normal kid. "So how you liking it up there? Anywhere near the feeling of flying?" He called to her loudly, changing the subject.

[bella]

You shouldn’t have even brought it up, she thought regrettably, already her happiness being infiltrated with thoughts of her mother. Every day it seemed she cursed that stupid woman, for everything she had done to her and for what she should have done and didn’t. Of course life wasn’t fair – it just seemed to Bella that some were dealt a better hand then others. But in the end, everyone wanted something they didn’t have – they wanted something new, something that they hadn’t yet experienced for themselves. Whether that be a big, fancy house with all the perks or just a simple home life where your parents actually cared about you instead of comforting you with their riches. No one was ever truly satisfied with what they had been given, in a sense. No one wanted to admit it, but deep down – they were selfish.

“Slitting your throat? Is that what you think vampires do?” For a moment his voice seemed far off – she could scarcely remember her name really, whenever she got to thinking about her parents – but Bella settled down her emotions and grinned tightly, positive anyone with half a brain could see through her facade. She really needed to just bury all revolving memories of her mother deep down and forget about them – until she could do that, it was always going to break through into daily life; almost, she thought vaguely, as though it were determined to steal any hope of having a “regular life.” Bella hadn’t even worked up a decent reply, “All the verbal abuse I take from you.” She could feel her smile turn a bit more genuine, “Sorry about that – comes with having me around. Time to weigh the pros and cons…” She managed a quiet laugh and then left it behind.

“Aren’t dorks supposed to be the ones who spend their Christmas holiday playing wizards chess and challenge the professors?” Bella replied smoothly, “Well, you would know, yes.” She was in debt to the little swing now – it was keeping Drew from seeing her little smirk. “Oh well, alright then, that makes everything okay.” The sarcasm dripped heavily from every word – just as she’d suspected it to. Better to play up love as a joke then take it seriously – it became too complicated after that. It definitely wasn’t anything she would take up arguing about with him. Bella liked pretending he was hers forever – why purposefully ruin that little daydream of hers?

Reality still in check, to some degree mind you, she gave up on thinking just her hands had any power over him. Muggle magicians were so idiotic. “I’m sure you’re marvelous when you truly apply yourself,” she returned lightly, just loud enough for him to hear, and then quieter “But until I see it for myself…” She trailed off, seeing no reason to further insult his intelligence. Of course he was marvelous – he knew what he was doing – but it was much funnier to pretend he was no smarted then a doornail; kept things…interesting. Bella was left to her wondering as he laughed from behind, clearly not going to give anymore detail on his mother then she on hers. Probably better that way, she figured, shoving all negative feelings back into the corners of her mind. “So how you liking it up there? Anywhere near the feeling of flying?” he continued expectantly. He didn’t want to talk about it; she didn’t want to talk about it. New topic? Perfect. “On a scale of one to ten?” she ventured, thinking a moment, “Somewhere between seven and eight. I still like the idea of being able to go anywhere you want on a broom, but I suppose if you were pressed for time or something – maybe something happened to your broom…well, swings are nice.” Nice if you have the right sort of company of course – had her mother been in his place… Well, suddenly the whole idea: yeah, not so nice anymore.

[drew]

Clouds were fogging over the perfect day that had been predicted by a muggle weather man; the sun already becoming blocked and dampened. It was a relief they had already washed the cars, minus the fact that they just might get rained on and leave dirty water marks all of the surface. A slight inprovement to the other rusted car they had left back in the dirt lot. Drew was aware of this but really didn't seem to care. A worry here, a worry there, the world was full enough of them as it was, it didn't need more. Getting uptight and tempermental never got a person their way, but everyone always seems to forget that. The world just wanted an excuse not to be happpy, so if they got bored, they'd always have something to restort to - complaining. Besides, the rain wasn't so bad, it washed away most of the troubles.

"You need to read up on your sci-fi fiction, you're getting behind." Of all the marvelous things Drew could think of to read in the world, he thought sci-fi was really a waste compared to them. He liked classics, and non-fiction, stuff that actually taught you stuff. Learning about a creature he was very doubtful was even real, wasn't something you should bother spending your time on. But for all purposes, he'd just go with that one for now. "Bella, the pros definitely outweight the cons. If I didn't think it was worth it, I wouldn't have even bothered." He scolded her, sort of because she assumed it could be something different. "However, you're lucky I'm so patient" He just had to add with a tease, knowing they both had to have patience to stand the other. A light breeze picked up and he smiled as it hit his face, this was the best part of the day, when the weather was just right. "Yeah that's me. I'm a pro at Wizard's chest. You should catch me playing a match one time, boy is it intense" He said with enthusiasm, in fake seriousness. With the swing in the way, she couldn't take in his full blow of sarcasm. To that, the swing was in debt to him.

"Ah, but that" He raised a finger in the air as her swing moved forward, "You will never know. If I were to truely release my full extrodinary skills on you, it'd be dangerous." He joked. Drew was pretty spectacular at charms though, that was the truth. HOM, potions, Arithmatic, they were his biggest weak points. "Seven or eight, that's not bad for your first go. Especially for someone as stubborn and pigheaded as you." He tried not to laugh, and since she was facing away he could silent laugh, where only facial expressions could give him away. "Or if you feared heights." He started to name off the possiblites. "Or you're a muggle, or if your blasted broom doesn't like you and it tries to hit you between the legs every time you get on." The last part extremely specific, probably from personal experience. She had let him change the subject without another word, and for that he was glad. Talking about it only made it worse, and he felt as if he had no right to go complaining about his unfortunate mother to others.

[bella]

OOC: I figured you’d check this faster then a PM, so: with the ball and real Christmas at our hands I was wondering if you’d consider the option of simply ending this thread as is (we can just pretend it went lovely and they headed back to Hogwarts – unless you had anything specific you wanted to happen?). It seemed too odd to try and keep up with this one when the ball thread would be going as well. Plus, I’m pretty sure we can both agree on time limitations during break and everything. If you’d like to continue here please let me know (here or PM – whatever works) and I’ll gladly carry on, but if it seems best for you as well to just end it well then let me know anyways. XD But I figured I purpose the idea before I put the effort into posting. ;]

[Indigo Grace]

ooc: Yup, agreed. It's going to be overwhelming as it is trying to remain active right now in the Yule Ball post, what with most of the Hogwarts characters attending. Also, sometimes when a past thread is still going on at the same time as a present thread, information that hasn't happened yet messes it all up terribly. So let's just leave it at that!