Open Your Eyes

Alexis came out from the castle towards the lake. She had no homework for the moment. She sat under the birch tree. She was not feeling like reading at the moment. She wished she had some friends to hang out with. But she was a bit of an introvert. So she sat there doodling on her notebook.

J. J. walked outside, enjoying the smell of the fresh air surronding her. She couldn't be kept away from nature, and the outdoors no matter what the whether. The lake stood out in the distance called to her. Struck with the sudden desire to feel the water on her skin she headed over towards it.
And stopped.
There was a person already there, sitting below the birch tree. Judging from her robes she was a slytherin. J. J. gulped. She had heard bad things about Slythrins, but they all couldn't be bad -- could they?
Frozen with indecision, J. J.'s foot stubbled forward, and a twig snapped.
Her heart clunched as she wondered if the girl by the lake heard it, and if she did what it meant for J. J.

Alexis was startled out of her reverie as a twig snapped nearby. She turned her head, her wand slipped into her hand. But it was only a student. She stowed her wand back, but the girl looked very apprehensive.
'Hey there!' Alexis called out. 'You can come sit by the lake if that's what you want.'
Why is it that people act so...so different when they encounter a slytherin? Well.

J. J. blushed as the girl invited her to sit down.
She seemed nice enough -- what a silly thing to be scared of someone just because of the house they're in. A Ravenclaw, or even a fellow Hufflepuff has just as much chance of being unkind as a Slytherin.
J. J. gave the girl a bashful smile as she sat tentively beside her.
Her mother's voice rang in her head, you better get apologizing for that chit
J. J. didn't need her mother to tell her; the words were already tumbling out of her mouth.
"Sorry about that, new people of any kind all tend to... intimidate me," she paused a moment, blushing more for admiting that; so she waved a hand at the notebook in the girls lap, "Besides I didn't want to intrupt your... but the lake so... bewitching, isn't it?"
where are your manors chit , her mothers voice rang again, all that gibbering and you haven't said your name
"I'm J. J. by the way."

'I'm Alexis. I'm not very easy around new people too. So its ok.' Alexis smiled. 'I like to sit by the lake. It soothes my mind.'

J. J. nodded and murmured, "I imagine it would."
She was already lost looking into the depth of the water. She liked to look at the water and the trees around the school. At times they seemed like the only things that hadn't completely changed on her.
As she stared at the lake she wondered what was hidden below its waters. Certainly whatever it was it would be more dangerous than what she'd find in a Muggle lake.
Shaking her head, she realized that Alexis was still there and she was being rude.
"It's nice to meet you - I haven't seen you in any of my classes. What year are you in?"
The girl had to be older. Everyone was older than J. J.

'I'm in second year. Its nice to meet you too.' Alexis smiled at her.

"That must be nice," J. J. sighed, "Knowing everything, not feeling lost. I feel so confused by everything that I'm not even sure I will know what to when I'm a second year."
She picked a stone off the ground beside her and tossed it into the lake, watching the rings from the splash move outwards, and then eventually disapear.

Alexis smiled,'You'll learn soon enough. Don't worry. Hogwarts becomes home to everyone, that's what I've heard, at least.'
Alexis smiled encouragingly, 'What classes have you taken by the way?'

J. J. smiled, "I hope so."
She paused a moment to think. She had taken a lot of classes. She wanted to be as involved as she could, learn as much as she could. Maybe that way everything would seem a little less hectic... disorienting.
"I took, Potions, charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, History of magic, Defense against the Dark Arts and Flying."
She smiled bashfully for a moment, "How about you?"

'Not History of Magic and Flying, but Wizard and Muggle Dueling and Astronomy.' Alexis thought for a moment. 'I guess I've made a pretty hectic schedule for myself, but I wanted to learn all of them.' She smiled.

J. J. nodded. Dueling, those classes sounded interesting, but she wasn't sure she could bring herself to actually fight someone. Though with everything going on she saw the sense in it.
She was lucky to have gone on so long hiding behind her siblings. She was going to have to learn to toughen up eventually.
She stared into the dark water once more, wondering what it would be like to just get lost in them. J. J. bet that there, underneath the water, she wouldn't have so many new things to learn, so many things to decide.
"Astronomy sounds like an interesting class," she heard herself saying, not looking away from the water.

'It is.' Alexis nodded, 'Stars and constellations have always fascinated me. So many mysteries and so many secrets they hold.'

J. J. nodded absentmindedly. She was long lost in her thoughts, and not really paying attention to what she was saying.
"I'd imagine," she spoke softly, and then snorted in distain, "Though I'm getting slightly tired of mysteries and secrets at the moment."

Alexis frowned, 'Why is that? Any problem?'

J. J. blushed as she realized what exactly she had allowed to come out of her mouth.
"No, no not really," she sighed shaking her head a little, her hair falling into her face and she was too lazy to move it, " just the usual... life, change, yada,yada. I'll get over it eventually."
She watched her reflection, warped by the water for a moment. She wondered what other people saw when they looked at her.
She wondered what she saw when she looked at herself.
She stood up suddenly, "It was nice to meet you Alexis."

Alexis looked up in surprise. But J. J. Looked stressed. So she just smiled, and said, 'Yes, it was a pleasure to meet you too.' She stood up as well, I might get back as well, she thought.

J. J. smiled, relived that she was just going to leave it as that.
"I'll see you around than."
With an effort to make sure she gave the girl a pleasent smile, J. J. turned and rushed back towards the castle.