Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 13, 2024 19:50:48 GMT -8
Lydia had only been back for a few days and she was already kind of missing being at the Kenny's. Not that she didn't enjoy being at Hogwarts, but it was easier to forget everything when it was just her and Ophelia together with her family. It was a little difficult for Liza to get back into the routine of classes, homework, studying - you know, all that good stuff. Ophelia had some stuff to work out so she was left practically on her own. She obviously had friends outside of Cy, but being separated from her bestest mate was weird. Everything kind of evened out when she ran into Graysen again during Herbology.
With the death of her mother in November and trying to be there for Ophelia with all these life changes she was going through, she had kind of neglected Gray and her other friends. She knew that she wanted to do better by them, to be a more active part of their lives, and honestly Graysen would have been her first choice. They planned to meet up in the group study to go over material for their next Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Which was coming up sooner than she would like and she was gone for like two weeks. She needed all the help she could get.
Lydia was late, naturally. The blonde witch rushed through the corridors and staircases until she finally made it to the library. Liza took a moment to catch her breath before she entered through the swinging doors and started walking to the group study room. Some people waved to her as she passed and Lydia smiled, waving back to them. Graysen's back was to her and a devilish grin spread across her lips. She snuck up behind him, trying not to laugh as she reached out and covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who?"
Graysen Phillips
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 13, 2024 20:34:32 GMT -8
Graysen was used to being alone; he liked it. His father had always insisted that the only people he could count on was family, which was why Gray only kept a small group of friends. He was civil with others or just ignored pretty much everyone else, but only truly himself with a few. One he was most himself with was Lydia, but he hadn't seen much of her since her mother had passed away. Gray didn't know the loss of a parent, so he wasn't much help. She seemed to go to her closer friends, like Ophelia, so he resolved to be more alone than before until they talked in Herbology.
She asked him to meet in group study, which he never did. Graysen didn't do well studying to begin with. Groups made it worse. He was only going for the brief moments to see Lydia. When more people showed up, he was going to leave. But he missed his bubbly friend, even though he was the complete opposite. He was glancing at the DADA notes in front of him, glad that he had taken his potion to help his dyslexia, but still had to focus, when hands covered his eyes. There was only one person in the entire castle who would dare cover the eyes of the abrasive and uninviting Graysen Phillips. "Hey, Lydia," he said, turning around, giving a genuine smile to one of the few people who deserved it.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 13, 2024 20:52:53 GMT -8
Lydia had never considered herself special or anything, but it did warm her heart to know that she was one of the few people Graysen liked. She knew that her bright and bubbly personality wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but Graysen never seemed to be bothered by her. Maybe that's why she liked him so much. Her lips were spread into a bright grin as he turned to smile at her and she moved to the chair beside him to sit herself in it. "Hey," she said with a happy sigh. The bizarre circumstances surrounding her mother's death and the secrets she had to keep because of it prevented her from leaning on others in the aftermath, sticking by Ophelia as they both navigated this change to their lives. Which was a shame because Graysen always had this calming affect on her and she could have used that in the weeks following her passing. "How have you been? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 14, 2024 18:52:01 GMT -8
It was oddly strange to Graysen how comfortable he could be with Lydia. It was just...different from everyone else. He didn't feel the need to be as guarded, feel like she was going to use anything he said and use it against him later. Although, he had heard many, many, many times about how his Grandfather's partner had stabbed him in the back. Gray liked being alone. But being around Lydia made him think that maybe being alone all the time wasn't always the best, at least if she was the one that he was around.
He turned to face her as she settled in the chair next to him. She asked how he was, stating that she hadn't seen him in forever. He could have commented that it had been since November, except for during classes. Whenever he did see her and was going to go and say something, Ophelia was with her. It wasn't that he had anything against the other student, Graysen just didn't interfere when other people were around, just like he didn't want people to bother him. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a bit, but I'm alright. You?"
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 14, 2024 19:43:15 GMT -8
Lydia missed her friends and she feels guilty for pulling away from everyone, but Ophelia needed her and she needed Ophelia. Cy needed her more than ever now that things had gotten so complicated with Noah, but there were some things she needed to work out on her own and Lydia was having a hard time accepting that. Perhaps it was a sign that Liza needed to be a little selfish and focus on what makes her happy. Though, honestly, that was easier said than done. Even when she was supposed to be thinking of herself, she was still putting others first.
A pang ran through her heart when he said it had been a bit, Lydia feeling a twinge of guilt that she hadn't been a better friend, but she smiled when he said he was doing alright. Liza hummed thoughtfully at his question, leaning back into her chair. "Better than I expected," she answered honestly. The loss of her mother still hurt her, but she was learning how to move on with each passing day. She knew her mum wouldn't want her to hide away who she was. "I've missed you. I'm sorry I kind of disappeared, I didn't really know how to go on afterwards," she said with a more serious note.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 14, 2024 20:13:24 GMT -8
She had a nice smile, and Graysen caught himself when he thought it, wondering where the thought had come from. It was random. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, hoping he wouldn't remember it and have to think about it later. He nodded at her answer, not really knowing how to answer. He had experienced any major loss in his life, except for his grandmother, but he was young when that happened. When she said that she missed his, a pleasant warm feeling pooled in his stomach, which again, shocked Gray. He didn't admit his feelings easily, even to his family or friends. The best he could do for Lydia was reply, "Me too." Of course he missed her. He could get really pessimistic without her constant optimism around. "Don't worry about it," Gray replied, trying to be helpful. He wasn't the caring type. He didn't say much. Graysen really didn't have any social skills. He was surprised that Lydia even gave him the light of day.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 14, 2024 20:44:37 GMT -8
Lydia couldn't help the bright smile that pulled at her lips, glad to have Gray back in her life. Even if it was for a study session. Right. They were here to study. She supposed they better get started before the group study became too crowded and Graysen would want to leave, but she knew that it wasn't used all that often and certainly not on a day like today. "I feel like I've missed so much this year," she said with a sigh, reaching into her bag to pull out her book and parchment for jotting down notes. The Bradley's were gone for about two weeks when their mother passed and then she was gone just these past couple of weeks. "Oh my gods, did you hear that Bella and Liam finally got together? I called that like, so long ago." Liza laughed as she leafed through the pages in her book. "Oh and Rose and Finch, but like everyone saw that coming." She found the page she was looking for and her delicate hands smoothed over the pages before she pulled out her inkwell and quill, turning back to Graysen with a smile. "Do you have your notes?"
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 14, 2024 21:21:18 GMT -8
As she remarked that she's missed so much this year, Gray nodded his head. "It's been a rough year," he added, as if that would console her and made the situation better. His dark eyes stayed on her as she dug through her stuff, getting the supplies they needed for the session while she commented on the relationships that had begun during the last several weeks. He didn't hear that those people had gotten together, but he had seen them together holding hands and even kissing. His only friend that would talk about the school relationships was Lydia, and well, that hadn't been for awhile. Then she laughed, and he had the random thought that it was cute sound. Strange. She asked if he brought his notes. Graysen pulled them from his bag and handed them to her. "If, uh, they don't make sense, well," he cleared his throat, "someone else would have it." She had more friends than him, ones that had an easier time understanding the material than him. She knew this, but still, Lydia had asked him for his notes.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 15, 2024 5:04:42 GMT -8
"It certainly has been for some," she said seriously before a bright smile tugged at her lips and she was moving on to the next thing. It wasn't in her nature to stay sad for long, even when she was facing a vast grief. Lydia couldn't tell you when she decided she was Hogwarts' matchmaker, but it was something she took pretty seriously. Kind of. It was all in good fun, but when her predictions started happening she felt like she had some kind of super power. It wasn't a perfect system, but there was just a feeling she got when she matched people together. Okay, so she had like one success story but who would have ever guessed that her brother would fall for her best mate? Besides Lydia, that is.
Her startling blue gaze watched him as he pulled out his notes and handed them to her. Every once in a while, she would look at Gray and think about how cute he was. Then she would think that he would make someone really happy if he just opened himself to it, which of course led her to think about who this someone would be. Today, however, she just took a moment to truly appreciate him without diving down deep into her thought spiral. Lydia simply smiled at him when he spoke, offering a small shrug and pulling the notes to her. She was quite familiar with Graysen's jumbled notes and, sure, she could find someone with more concise notes to copy off of, but she could read his just fine and she preferred his company. Her eyes scanned over the notes, chewing on her bottom lip a little when she noticed a bit of smudged ink. She pointed to it, leaning toward him so they could look at the parchment together. "What's this bit about inferi? I can't make it out."
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 15, 2024 9:05:34 GMT -8
His notes seemed like a disorganized mess to others, but they made decent-ish sense to him. Studying never really made sense. But when he backtracked and worked through the thought process over, it led him down the same jumbled mess before him, which was the addition on the sides, the crossing out of parts that were added somewhere else. It depended on if his potion was fresh or not on how many scratch marks there were, but Lydia never seemed to have minded. At least she had never voiced it. When she leaned closer and asked what a certain part was, he leaned in and read it, but noticed her scent. She smelled like fresh flowers. Gray wasn't sure which kind, but it was nice. His brown knitted together, never noticing how she smelled before. "Oh, uh, it says that only fire affects them," he said, turning his head to her, realizing just how close they actually were, but he didn't pull away.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 15, 2024 9:35:42 GMT -8
Truth be told, she kind of liked how disorganized and messy his notes were. It was like she was getting a glimpse into his mind and she found it interesting, something she wanted to know more about. Studying was not her forte, but she managed to get by with decent marks. Lydia likely always will be more interested in people than books which is probably why she excels at casting magic when there is face to face instruction. History of Magic will forever be her worst subject. There was no way her hyperactive brain was going to memorize all those facts and retain it. But when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lydia struggled with the dark creatures aspect. He said only fire affects them and Lydia turned her head to look at him, surprised to see how close they were right now. Her blue eyes flickered over his features for a moment before she smiled and leaned back, picking up her quill and dipping it into the inkwell. Lydia lowered her quill to his notes and she doodled a small fire just to the right of the smudged blob. "There!" Her smile brightened the room as she set aside her quill. "I can do fire easily. A horde of inferi would be no match for me!"
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 15, 2024 19:33:13 GMT -8
His dark eyes stayed on her flickering light ones, moving when he saw the upturn of her lips as she smiled. When was the last time he had willingly been this close to someone? Probably never. He hated physical touch, and there was never any reason to be close to someone, unless he was body checking them during football. Lydia leaned back. He watched as she grabbed her quill and took his notes, starting to write something on it. If anyone else did that, Graysen would have shoved them. Well, most people wouldn't have tried that. But it was Lydia. She seemed to get away with a lot when it came to Graysen. He watched as her hand moved over his parchment briefly before moving away triumphantly, a flame now residing on his notes. Gray gave her an amused smile with an airy chuckle. "Oh, yeah, you don't even need my notes. You're ready," he joked, even though he was sure Lydia could and would do better without his notes.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 16, 2024 6:59:41 GMT -8
Lydia was quite proud of herself, leaning back in her chair as she admired the flame with a smile, her gaze flicking back to Graysen to see his reaction. Her smile widened at the sound of his laugh, a warmth bursting in her chest, slowly spread to her extremities. "They'll write ballads about me and my inferi-fighting adventures," she said wistfully, her shoulders rising and falling with her sigh before she devolved into a fit of giggles. Lydia was completely unaware that her hand had reached out to grasp his while she was busy laughing, not that it wasn't normal for her. The witch was very physical with her affections, always touching or hugging her friends, especially when she was tickled about something. Her hand retracted as her laughter subsided, wiping the tears that sparkled in the corners of her eyes. "Whew," she breathed out with another small giggle. "Okay, so fire for inferi. I can remember that. What else did I miss?"
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year // Gryffindor
|
Post by Graysen Phillips on Apr 16, 2024 18:22:37 GMT -8
His eyes shined as he looked at her as her fit of giggles echoed off the group study room. The blonde waves of her hair falling effortlessly, framing her pretty face. Pretty? Gray had thought many things about his Hufflepuff friend. She was kind, funny, helpful, caring, but he had never thought pretty. Did friends think their friends were pretty? This was not a normal thought for Graysen Phillips. What brought him out of that train of thought was the feeling of touch on his hand. His eyes darted to his hand and saw Lydia's hand on his. Gray didn't instantly pull his hand away like he normally would have. It wasn't...horrible to be touched by Lydia. Before he could think more about it, she stopped laughing and began asking more about what she had missed. "Uh, they definitely aren't zombies. Prof was very clear about that. They have white and cloudy eyes." Graysen started to look more at his notes, trying to figure out what more was pertinent, hurrying before more people came, but wanting to spend as much time with Lydia as possible. It was hopeless. "You probably would have better luck asking someone else," he confessed.
|
|
Year/Job
Sixth Year
I need somethin' stronger that'll last a little longer. I could use a love song |
|
Post by Lydia Bradley on Apr 16, 2024 20:38:10 GMT -8
Lydia was mouthing what he said back to her, trying to commit the words to memory, her eyes scanning his notes for any more tidbits of information that might be important. Okay, she thought to herself. Inferi are corpses reanimated by dark magic. Ew, gross. Only fire hurt them and they had white and cloudy eyes. Oh, and they are not zombies. Was that it? That was easy! Lydia could remember all that. Her face, which had been furrowed in thought, relaxed and brightened just as Graysen said she'd have better luck asking someone else. She looked at him with a brow raised, a smile on her lips. "What if I don't want to ask anyone else?" she asked him, a touch of playfulness in her voice. Lydia was always unashamedly herself, but with Graysen she felt like she could relax and calm her racing mind. And they were doing well! She already learned so much about inferi! "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not," she told him decidedly. "Did she go over any spells with the lesson?"
|
|