her abandoned studio heart is on an auction

Lena poked at her guitar for a moment as she sat cross-legged by the lake. She glanced at her fingers and bit her lip at nothing in particular. It was the first time she had touched a guitar in years, and the last time she did so she was about nine, and she was playing this song Alex was in love with and forced her to play on the guitar. She chuckled as she thought of those days.

As she sat, she pressed her fingers against the strings, trying to remember the feel on her fingers. She stared at them, and after a strum, the sound vibrated in the air. Immediately she remembered, and started strumming away when someone called her from afar.

Eva bounced toward the lake stopping every once and a while to talk to the plants. She had Myles at her heals talking to her. She responded and laughed as he commented about different students. She had sent him out to find out what he could about them. She found that most were normal and rather fun. He has mentioned an exchange student that she wanted to meet, so that's where she was going.

She spotted a girl in the distance and asked Myles if that was her. He said it was and she skipped toward her calling out to her. "That sounds nice." She said as she got closer. "Hi" She said as she reached her. "I'm Eva. Eva Lee. What's your name?" She said rather fast. Myles hissed at her to slow down and she snapped back. "Stay out of it Myles." She then looked back up smiling.

As Lena was approaching the final chords, someone had called her. Their name was Eva, or so they claimed to be. She stopped playing the chord she was playing, her fingers close to bleeding due to the amount of stress the strings had put on them, and turned around. Her blue eyes rested on a young girl in Hufflepuff and a cat with her. She raised an eyebrow at the hissing cat. Was it some sort of secret Animagus or something?

"Hello," she replied, putting the guitar gently down on the grass. Dusting grass off her body, she neatly parted her hair and stood up, carrying the guitar in her arms. "I'm Lena, Lena Vorstenbach," she called, walking towards the girl. Her first thoughts about Eva was that she seemed like a nice person, and she stopped a few feet away from the girl, trying to stay out of the cat's reach. "Your cat is not always this crazy, right?" she asked, eyeing it.

Eva smiled widely. "That's a nice name. It's good to meet you Lena" She said happily. Eva couldn't help but laugh at Lena when she asked about her cat. "Oh no he was telling me to talk slower. He really likes you." She said to her. Myles was looking at her and to encourage her point purred. "See!" She exclaimed.

"That was a very nice song. I can't be bothered with music. I prefer art or cooking." she said still quite fast. Myles meowed to say 'you're still doing it'. Eva looked at him. "Myles I know I talk fast now stop telling me." She said slightly irritated with the cat. "Sorry He was telling me that I was still talking fast. He's just a kitten and hasn't gotten used to me." She told her.

Lena smiled, letting a German tinge pass her lips, "Thank you, Eva. Is Eva short for something or is it just Eva." She then she couldn't help but stare at the cat again. She looked back up at Eva, and she frankly agreed. Eva did talk pretty quickly, but not as fast as Lena did whenever she spoke Finnish. She then chuckled. "Well... I suppose he does," she agreed, sitting down in front of him (or was it a her?). "Do you mind if I pet him? Or is it a her?"

The blonde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I hope you've heard of Mumford & Sons," she replied, and looked again at the kitten. Such an adorable little thing it was. "Frankly, I agree with it," she added, laughing lightheartedly to show that she didn't mean harm by those words.

Eva smiled. So she was from Germany, Myles never seemed to pick that up. "Nope Just Eva." She said trying to talk slower, and not sound stupid. She smiled at Myles and nodded to say that he could approach the older girl. "Sure go ahead he's very friendly." she said to her. She smiled at her cat to say that he should be nice. He responded with a meow that said 'I know'.

Eva looked up she had never heard of that. "No sorry I haven't." she said slightly embarrassed. "Why don't you tell be about it." She said trying to talk slower. She wasn't having much success. "I know I talk fast." she said unembarrassed. She glanced over to a tree and smiled at it. She thought about returning it's greeting but decided against it. She didn't want this person to think she was strange.

"So where are you from?" She asked. She thought it was Germany but she still thought she'd ask. She wanted to know after all. Maybe she could go on an exchange program when she was older.

Lena chuckled, "And now you're going to ask me whether it's just Lena or not, are you?" she asked, still chuckling, "well... I am." She blinked. "Hey!" she announced, "you're talking slower!" She then grinned, showing her pride at the other girl's name. Reaching out to pet the cat, she stroked his fur, marveling at its softness. "Dear Merlin!" she gasped, "he is adorable. Eva! What's his name?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Lena's face remained nonchalant. "Mumford & Sons are a British Muggle folk rock band from the early 21st century," she explained, "their most famous songs are 'The Cave' and 'Little Lion Man.'" She tilted her head to one side. "It's cool, Eva, I talk pretty fast too when I speak Finnish," she added, smiling kindly at her friend. The Uchitel then glanced at her guitar. "Want me to play you the song I was just playing again?"

At Eva's question, Lena's face immediately beamed. "I'm from the lovely place named Durmstrang in which I am a fourth year Uchitel, which is like Ravenclaw in Hogwarts," she announced, "but I was born in Finland. But I'm not entirely Finnish either. What about you?"

Eva smiled and chuckled softly. "Well is it just Lena?" She asked. Eva blinked. Well she had had a bit of success. "Oh am I? It takes a lot of effort." she said again trying to talk slowly. "His name is Myles. well that's what he told me. I wanted to name him Willow." She sighed and Myles hissed at her saying 'Willow. I'm not going to be called Willow.' Eva rolled her eyes at the cat. "Sorry Myles is telling me that he would never be called Willow." She told Lena.

Eva nodded to what she was told about the band. "I'm from Australia. I just moved here." She explained. She didn't really know what most bands where she just listened to the radio. Eva nodded, she only spoke English. Eva nodded she loved that song. She looked at Myles and he purred saying yes. She even heard a few of the trees say yes as well. "It seems that even nature wants to hear you play again." She said to her.

Eva nodded to everything she said. She understood. Her parents having looked into all the schools before sending her here. "That's cool." She said smiling. "First year Hufflepuff, born in Australia and raised there as well. I went there for a bit, it starts earlier, but I was picked on for being able to talk to plants and animals, so my parents transferred me here." She said a bit fast again.

Lena chuckled, "Yeah, it is just Lena. Unless you count my entire name, which is Lena Marie Johanna Vorstenbach." She burst out laughing for a second before nodding sympathetically at her friend. "Yeah, sometimes, talking slow sucks," she agreed. She stared at the cat. "Myles is your name?" she asked, gently ruffling his fur. She chuckled. "Well... I would have liked Myles too, if I were to compare it to Willow." She kept stroking his fur, letting her fingers spend all the time they need.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes now wide with interest, "I've never been to Australia before! What is it like?" She then began to play the song on her guitar, letting her fingers strum the strings as harmoniously as she could, trying to ignore the pain striking her nerves with every strum. Her voice was calm and quiet, and although it wasn't pitch perfect it wasn't exactly the most terrible thing in the world either. Sooner than she expected, the song was over, and when she looked up, Eva looked happy. She must have performed well. She laughed at Eva's compliment. "I'm not so sure about that," she mused, "and how do you know, anyway?"

"Oooh... a Huffle!" Lena gasped, eyes widening in shock. She then looked at what Eva happened to be wearing and buried her face in her palm. "Oh right!" she muttered, mentally slapping herself. She then rapidly looked up when Eva mentioned something rather extraordinary. "Y-You can talk to plants?" she whispered, leaning in towards her newfound friend. "Seriously?" She then blinked repetitively, stuck in a state of disbelief.

Eva laughed as she talked to Myles. He seemed to like her as he looked over to her and said 'You better be friends with her' then turned back to Lena. "He really likes you." she said to Lena. She thought that it was good that she had such a cute cat, it made it easier to make friends. Eva sat down next to Lena and leaned back, she heard the whisper of the trees and grass she smiled loving it.

"Oh it's nice, usually hot, at least where I lived." She said smiling at her. She watched as she started to play the guitar again she was very good. She wasn't much of a singer herself so she smiled and kept quiet. When she finished everyone applauded, the trees and plants Myles and herself. "Oh they love it." She said, "I just know." She smiled at her.

Eva laughed at her reaction to her house it was so funny. She was liking this girl more and more. when she asked if she was serious she nodded. "Yep I can talk to plants and animals. It's really cool. That's how I know what to name Myles and that nature loves your song." She said smiling. "Does that freak you out?" She asked feeling worried.

Lena chuckled again because Myles was so adorable, and she crossed her legs so the cat could crawl in it and curl up. "Well, tell him that the feeling is mutual," she grinned, leaning over to kiss the cat gently on its head. She continue to stroke him until he would come to her lap. "Anyways," she began, her voice drifting away into a dreamy sigh, "you have to tell me about the day you got him, Eva."

Her eyes widened, and the Uchitel tilted her head to one side in curiosity. "Really?" she asked, "which part of Australia did you live in? The desert part? Or did you live in one of the cities?" She wasn't going to be cliched and ask if Eva had seen the koalas or anything dumb like that. She then shrugged her shoulders - though without sincerity - at her comrade's next words. "Whatever you say," she replied, fiddling with her thumbs.

"I see," she replied, her face lighting up with the joy of any person knowing that a huge question of theirs had been answered and they can have peace in their minds. She shook her head curtly at Eva's next question. "Being an illusionist myself," she replied, "I should be a hypocrite if I met a Beastspeaker and ran away from them." She kindly smiled at her friend, the smile reaching her eyes.

Eva smiled and Myles began to purr. She heard him say that she had to spend more time with this girl. "I got him when we moved to England. We went to the pet store to pick him out. He was the nicest there so." She shrugged. She never wanted to leave that store once she got there.

"No I lived and grew up in the city." She said smiling. "we took trips to the desert though." She said smiling at the memories. "They really do. They love music." She said smiling fondly at the trees and plants.

Eva smiled glad she had not scared off her new friend. She really hated when she did that. "What is an illusionist?" She asked. Wondering, her wonder leaked into her expression. "Really that's great the people at my school back home thought I was a freak and bullied me, that's paart of the reason we moved here." She said with a slight frown.

Lena chuckled. "Your Nice Meter is accurate, you know that?" she agreed, nodding in assent as she kept on stroking Myles the cat, "you should refine it more; you're going to be a wonderful Nice Detector when you grow up. Of course, the best Nice Detectors have a good Nice sense, so keep your Nice senses peeled!" She laughed lightly, pressing the cat's head to her lips.

"Which city?" Lena asked, blinking so that a dragonfly won't flap its wings in her eye, "Perth? Adelaide? Melbourne?" Now she was just spitting cities out of her mouth because they were the only ones she knew.

"Uhhh..." the Uchitel hesitated, trying to find the right words to phrase her predicament, "an illusionist, well, it's just someone that wants to make illusions." She smirked at the young girl. "Want me to show you?"

Eva smiled at the complement and chuckled to herself she was loving this girl more and more with each minute. "Why thank you." She beamed at her.

"No I lived in Sydney. The big noises and lights of the big city. But I often went swimming. I can breath a bit underwater. I can still talk to the marine life." She said smiling. She loved that her gift stretched that far. she loved talking to dolphins they were so smart. She loved them all. She could talk to the sharks and all the fish. She often thought about the movie she liked. It was old but it was funny.

Eva nodded. "yes I would like to see." She said smiling widely. She wanted to know what she could do and the best way was to see it. "You wont hurt me right?" She asked her not knowing what the gift did.

Lena did a small curtsy at the girl's words, shrugging her shoulders. "I only state the truth, my darling," she replied, a huge grin on her face.

"Ahhh..." the Uchitel breathed, mostly in understanding. She shuddered when the young Hufflepuff mentioned swimming. After all, swimming was a fear of hers ever since she was five... and even when she played in the water she often got paranoid and would try and get out of it as soon as she possibly could. "That's cool," she remarked, "what are the Aussie sharks like? Are they nice to you?"

The Uchitel shook her head. "No, it won't hurt you," she replied, smiling. She then closed her eyes gently, imagining the image of a baguette clear and focused in her mind. She took long, deep breaths an when she opened her eyes, there was a baguette, looking like any other one, right in her hand.

Eva felt very touched by this girl and beamed at her happily. She really like her new friend. She wondered if they would write when she went back to Russia.

She smiled, it was rather cool. She didn't notice the other girl tense at the mention of water. "Yes they were. They are really friendly creatures." She said smiling.

Eva sighed glad that it wouldn't hurt she watched her and was amazed at what she coul do. "That is so cool." She said excitedly.

"I never expected sharks to be so friendly," Lena replied truthfully, a slight sliver of shame in her voice, "growing up with Muggle friends... it gets to me, y'know? I used to believe that, but now that I know better. I don't." She grinned at the young Hufflepuff, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

The Uchitel shrugged her shoulders. "I know, but I don't like showing it to other people," she added, "so the fact that I showed it to you is special enough." She winked.

Eva smiled at her. "neither did I but I was talking to the coral and they came up and talked to me. Most animals are kind. They just are protective." The young Hufflepuff in formed the exchange student.

Eva smiled glad she could see. She thought it was so cool. Her gift was great but it only affected her. "Well I feel honoured." She said with a huge smile. She liked fitting in, it was a nice change.

"Well, next time I promise to leave the shark children alone!" Lena exclaimed, a small laugh released from her heart. She hasn't been in a patricularly riveting mood for a while now, and feeling light-hearted was the thing she needed.

Eva laughed as well. She liked the light air. She smiled thinking that life was great. She had it well. She now had friends, with both people and the creatures in the forest. All was good for Eva. She just hoped it stayed that way.

"Well Lena it was nice meeting you, but I should go." She said smiling at Myles. "Come on Myles." She said walking back to the castle. He complained and she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry Myles we'll she her again."