Getting Away [Open to the First to Reply]

Leona Eve Petersen burst into the Three Broomsticks one winter afternoon, eager to get away from school.  She was having bad memories from last Christmas.  She remembered him a wizard at school, who she had thought she loved, but the relationship turned out to be fake.  She learned to never trust that boy again.  She ordered a butter beer and sat down at a small table.  She needed to think, but most of all she needed someone, anyone, who cared about her.

Leona's butter beer arrived and she didn't hesitate in drinking it.  The butter beer always tasted amazing here, and she was rarely able to come here.  Hogsmeade visits had become more and more sparse, something Leona was not too happy about.  However, this wonderful holiday season had given her a chance to visit her favorite place, well one of her favorite places.  Hogwarts, even though the people there were sometimes rude to her, would always be her happy place.  It would always be home to her.

A fellow Hohwarts student walked up to Leona's table as she was taking a swig of her butterbeer. She wiped the foam off her lips with a napkin and looked at the girl. She was definitely a Hogwarts student. Leona wasn't sure, but it looked like she was a Gryffindor. Great, Leona though Cause I'm just SO great at making new friends. Leona took her feet off the chair on the other side of the table, to leave a space for the girl to sit.

The Hogwarts student asked if she could sit at Leona's table. Leona had predicted this would happen. She hoped that this witch wasn't one of those bubbly people that have to make friends with everyone. She slowly replied, "Um," [i]here's your chance, Leona, you can say no and be done with her, "Yeah, you can sit down.

"I'm Leona Petersen, a Gryffindor at Hogwarts."

Leona Eve Petersen nodded at the girl, Zia.  She was seventh year.  Sitting with a seventh year made her feel small, like she did when she was a firstie.  An ickle firstie, as some of the students called them, including her, she couldn't help herself.  Of course, Leona had a lot of reasons to feel insecure about herself.  In fact, her entire life was something to feel insecure about.  What could she say?  Her life was broken.

"Ah," said Leona, thoughtfully, "I'm in fourth year."

One of the first things Leona wondered about this girl was why wasn't she up at Hogwarts where the majority of the festivities were.  Of course, she could ask the same for Leona, and Leona didn't want to talk about last Christmas at all.  Okay, maybe it was her fault getting into a situation like that at the age she was, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel bad about it and regret it.

The question eventually slipped out through the silence, "So why aren't you at the castle, where all the festivities are?"

~I am so sorry, i really meant to reply to that sooner than I did.  I've been really busy lately.