alone time (open)

[evelyn amelia strauss]

Evelyn wasn't sure how to feel about this school year just yet. It had barely begun, only being a few days into the first semester. There was just too much to take in, and she needed to cool off before something went wrong. So, in the late evening when everyone was headed to bed, Evelyn was up, headed to the courtyard. It was a peaceful place, one that not many people bothered with. It was ideal. Peeking around the corner, she found the courtyard to be completely empty. Sighing and smiling to herself, she wandered into the area.

Sitting herself down on a bench next to the clock tower, she closed her eyes. This was a lot more difficult than she would have cared to ever admit to anyone, especially to herself. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Bruce were wonderful people and took very good care of her... but they weren't her mother and father. No one would ever replace the spot that they had and still did hold in her heart. The past month had been excruciatingly difficult without them. The term "orphan" bounced around in Evelyn's mind, and it caused her chest to clench painfully.

Clutching at her ribs, her eyes flew open. "Fuck,"

[/color] she muttered. This sort of thing happened whenever she decided to dwell too much on the past or even start thinking about how to begin her future. It really was an unfortunate thing for her, losing both of her parents and starting her final year of school at the same time. It was proving to be a challenge. She just hoped she could hide these panic attacks from others as long as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was seem weak. That wasn't who she was.

Wiping sweat from her brow and gasping for breath, Evelyn's heart raced as the air seemed to press down on her from both sides. Closing her eyes tight, she focused on her breathing. It took a few moments, but, finally, her breathing became less labored and more even. It was only a minor one, something that she could power through without too much trouble. Slouching against the bench, Evelyn sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying the peace.

Evelyn's Outfit[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[charlotte lily potter]

A disregard for rules, just like your father.

It was a phrase that had crossed both Charlotte's ears and her mind several times as she went through schooling. Of course, she never did things to the magnitude that her Dad did, frankly, there wasn't as much going on that would warrant causing trouble. No Philosopher's Stone to protect, no Heir of Slytherin or Azkaban escapees running around, no Triwizard Tournament, and heaven forbid, no attacks on the school. No, all she really had was a liking for staying out past curfew. Sometimes in the library (how very rebellious of her, breaking the rules to read or catch up on homework, such a thrilling life she lead), but more often to just walk.

Which was what young Charlotte Potter was doing presently. She had discovered that if she didn't want to get caught out of bed, then going outside was the best option. And considering that it wasn't raining, it seemed like an especially good option. Normally, Charlotte might walk to clear her mind, but tonight she was moving at a faster pace. She had taken up running, it was a good calorie burner, and she feared she might have gone soft over the summer, how could she whip up an entire Quidditch team if she wasn't in top shape herself?

Charlotte was still beating herself up over not having the foresight to stick to her training regime over the summer. But she was determined to stick to it now, and as punishment, she might cut back a bit more on her diet. She already didn't do sugar, maybe it might be carbs next. Or everything except protein and vegetables. Though that might be a bit extreme, she had to be careful, there was no use in calling any unnecessary attention to herself. This was something best kept private.

Charlotte slowed her jog as she got into the courtyard, progressively slowing until she was just walking, another successful late-night excursion. Or perhaps not, there was a redhead on a bench between her and the castle entrance. Charlotte's mind immediately jumped to the girl being one of her cousins, Lord knew there were many a Weasley redhead running around, but a second of observation told her this wasn't the case. Damn. Hopefully not a prefect as she hadn't bothered with being quiet...

Outfit

[evelyn amelia strauss]

Evelyn looked up as a rather noisy runner rounded the corner into the courtyard, slowing down upon entering the area. The two sized each other up from far away, and Evelyn's mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that this girl wasn't a prefect. She was too wary of Evelyn, there wasn't any way she was someone who could get her into trouble. Evelyn recognized the girl vaguely, knowing fully that she was one of the Potter kids. Things like that are common knowledge around Hogwarts, what with their father being as famous as he was.

Evelyn couldn't really care less about the girl's name or house. She didn't keep track of that sort of thing like other people did. A person was a person, and the fact that this girl's name wasn't creeping into her mind didn't bother her in the slightest. This could go one of two ways. Either the girl would leave the courtyard without any introduction, or an introduction would be given. Either way, Evelyn wouldn't be offended. She just desperately hoped that this girl hadn't been standing there long enough to see her recovering from her panic attack.

Shaking her head slightly, she smiled softly at the girl. "Not a prefect, don't worry,"

[/color] she called out, her smile morphing into a small smirk. Evelyn made direct eye contact with the girl for a moment, allowing silence to fill the air. Finally, she sighed, leaning back on the bench and closing her eyes. "Don't mind me, I'm just enjoying the evening air,"[/color] she said, readjusting her position on the bench slightly.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[charlotte lily potter]

Charlotte couldn't help her apprehension, while she wasn't afraid of getting into trouble, the process in and of itself was a pain in the ass. She'd rather not be slapped with a detention this early in the school year, and thus lose a potential evening of whipping the Slytherin Quidditch team back into shape. The season was going to start in a month, and they had work to do. Charlotte personally was thrilled that she'd been given the Captain's badge that summer, it showed that her work and prowess for seeking had paid off. She deserved to be in charge of the team, something which she had wanted ever since she started playing in third year.

Her posture relaxed slightly when the girl called out, saying that she wasn't a prefect and not to worry. Well, perhaps things weren't going to go as badly as she had thought they might. At least she didn't have to be concerned with getting caught doing something she ought not to do. "Excellent," said Charlotte, "a fellow rule-breaker." People were often surprised by her friendliness given the colours she wore, but she didn't usually have qualms talking to people. Letting them past her defenses, however, that was a different story.

As long as a healthy amount of distance was kept, she'd be more than comfortable. It was when people started asking too many questions that she turned prickly- unpleasant, even. But this? For now it was fine. She didn't even care about what house the girl was in, her own family was all over the place. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve she approached the redhead. "Erm, I'm Charlotte," she said, not adding her surname. Most people knew that already.

[evelyn amelia strauss]

Evelyn watched the girl breathe a sigh of relief at her words, and it caused her to smile softly. It was entertaining, seeing how much the prefects went under fire for their rank. They were supposed to be in charge of the student body, cracking down hard on those out of bed after curfew, and everyone tended to hate them. There wasn't a single prefect that Evelyn knew of that didn't follow the harsh rules in regards to those breaking said guidelines, and it was a bit of a pain in the ass. Still, there wasn't really anything Evelyn could do about it, save for being crafty and not getting caught where she wasn't supposed to.

"Excellent, a fellow rule-breaker."

Evelyn smirked at the title. She was actually a rather good student, the only rules she broke were in regards to curfew. Being around people made her a bit edgy, especially given the circumstances. The scattered panic attacks were something she wanted to keep hidden, and being around others frequently would prohibit that. Evelyn watched the girl come closer, and smile. The Potter girl was younger than her, though not by much, and she reminded Evelyn of herself in so many ways. That was only judging on this first encounter, Evelyn didn't doubt that more similarities would soon make themselves known.

"Erm, I'm Charlotte."

Evelyn looked up at Charlotte, who had now approached her. She grinned, nodding towards the girl. "Evelyn,"

[/color] she replied, looking the girl up and down. "Evening run, hmm? How was it?"[/color] she asked, meeting Charlotte's gaze. She was a people person, regardless of the fact that she enjoyed being alone. As long as the person in question didn't give her any trouble, there wasn't any need for her to get vicious. However, the moment someone decided to be less than friendly, Evelyn wouldn't hesitate to bite back... Evelyn didn't believe Charlotte was that way, though, and even then, she'd give her some leeway. Innocent until proven guilty, as it were...[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[charlotte lily potter]

Charlotte impatiently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, it had escaped her high ponytail midway through her run and had been continually hitting her in the face for the past half hour- though the past ten minutes or so it had been plastered to the side of her face with sweat. Some girls might be prissy about working up a sweat, but not Charlotte, she reveled in it, liked to think that it was her body fat crying as she burned it away. She did still have a ways to go, however, but she had slimmed down a bit since last year. It didn't make much difference to her, she was a perfectionist, and she wasn't yet perfect.

She would just have to try harder. Failure was not an option, not being thin wasn't an option. She had to be flawless. Charlotte nodded when the redhead introduced herself as Evelyn, and then without being invited sat down on the bench beside her, but left a healthy amount of space between them. No need to get to chummy too quickly. Charlotte had never really been physically affectionate anyway, not with family, not with her close friends. She wasn't really keen on touch, she didn't want anyone getting too close to her, that would only mean trouble.

Charlotte pondered a moment how to reply when Evelyn inquired about her run, she wasn't one to brag about how much she worked out, in fact, she didn't want anybody to realise just how much she did. As far as she was concerned, the world could suffer under the delusion that she was naturally slender. Didn't have to work out, and could eat whatever she wanted in whatever quantity she pleased. Charlotte worked at not scoffing at the thought, it couldn't be further from the truth, she worked so hard... "Invigorating," Charlotte responded simply. She looked down at her bare thighs, briefly crinkling her nose, they looked huge when she sat down. To compensate for this, she lifted her feet up, resting the weight of her legs on her tiptoes, that was somewhat better, but still discouraging...